Part of the Pack
by BekahAM
Summary: What would happen if things went a little differently in New Moon and Embry imprints on Bella when she see's him for the first time after he phases? Things are about to get a bit interesting...
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: The Twilight Saga belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I own nothing but my AU story line.**

Working in Jacob's garage made me feel better, almost whole again. I still had the nightmares, but each day I spent down on the reservation, I felt more alive again, not broken.

Each time I was down there, Quil and Embry would show up and we would all three just hang out while we worked on the bikes. For weeks, that was how it was. We would all hang out, grab pizza, work on the bikes, Jake and Quil would end up wrestling. We just had fun.

One day I went down to Jakes, it was a Saturday, I met him in his garage. I hadn't been able to come down to the res since the previous Saturday, but I was excited about how close we were to finishing the bikes.

When I walked up to the garage, Jake was waiting for me, but the other two Quileutes weren't there like they normally would have been.

"Hey, where's Quil and Embry?" I asked him and he looked away, his long hair swinging in the sun on this unusual day.

"Glad you're happy to see me, too, Bella." Jake said pretending like he was hurt. "Nah, Quil is helping his grandfather, and Embry… I don't know, he's probably with Sam." Jacob told me, almost like he was hurt.

"Oh." I said, not sure what to say.

"In brighter news, they're done!" He said with an almost sad smile.

"Really?" I asked, super excited to see them.

"Yep" He led me outside to an area just beside the garage. He lifted the cover off and showed me the two bikes, looking nearly brand new.

"Wow, Jake, these look amazing!" I told him. Without any help, he lifted the bikes into the back of my truck and then we were off to a spot he said would be great to test them out.

We were almost there when I saw 4 guys standing on the edge of the cliff.

"Is that Sam Uley?" I asked him.

"Yeah, him and his cult." He told me.

Two of them looked like they were wrestling then two of the guys grabbed one of them and all of a sudden they threw him off the Cliffside, into the water below. I pulled over the truck immediately.

"Oh my god!" I got out of the truck. "Did you see that?" I asked Jacob as he got out of the truck too, I couldn't keep my eyes off of the three men left standing on the Cliffside and worrying about the other one that fell.

"They're not really fighting, Bella." Jake said with a laugh. "They're cliffdiving. Scary as hell, but a total rush."

"A rush?" I asked, wondering if I would be able to see him if I did it too. I was suddenly intrigued.

"Most of us jump from lower down, we leave the showing off to Sam and his disciples." I turned back to Jacob and started walking back across the road.

"You have some kind of beef with him or something?" I asked. When I got back to my truck, I turned around to watch them again.

"I don't know, they just think they run this place. Embry used to call them hall monitors on steroids, now look at him." He said and I looked at the tall, muscular but lean man I could barely recognize as Embry, jumping off the cliff with a yell.

"That's Embry?" I asked, clearly confused. I had just seen him a week ago. "What happened to him?"

"He missed some school, then he started following Sam around like a little puppy. Same thing happened with Paul and Jared. Sam keeps giving me this look like he's waiting for me or something. It's kinda starting to freak me out." Jacob said, with genuine worry on his face.

"Well, you should just avoid him or something." I told him, wishing I could help him more.

"I try." Jacob told me. I turned back to look, just as Sam was jumping.

A few weeks later.

I stormed down to Jacobs house after he had come to my house, begging me to remember the legends. I remembered them. He had told me about the pale faces and the spirit wolves. The wolves, that's what he wanted me to remember. The wolves I saw in the clearing, the ones who went after Laurent.

I knocked on the door and Billy answered.

"Bella." Billy said, just inside the doorway.

"I need to see him." I told him, disparity in my voice.

"He's not in." He said, but I knew he was lying. I was sick of people lying to me. I pushed by him and walked around.

"I'm sorry but I really need to see him." I told him, walking directly to Jacobs room.

"Bella." Billy tried to say but it was too late.

I pushed open Jacob's door to see him sleeping on his undersized bed. I looked at him for a second before hearing some sort of animal call outside. I looked out and could see the four guys in Sam's crew at the edge of the woods.

I stormed out of Jake's house, seeing the 4 shirtless Quileute's walking out of the woods. I'd had enough, I was going to figure out what they did to Jake.

I scrambled outside rushing to face them, to face Sam and his disciples. "What did you do?! What did you do to him?!" I yelled, pushing into Sam, although it felt like I had hit a concrete wall. "He didn't want this!"

Suddenly the one standing beside Sam spoke up. "What did we do, what did we do? What did he tell you?!" He spoke hurriedly. I glanced over to him, he was shaking mad.

"Nothing, he tells me nothing because he's scared of you." I could see him shaking, like visibly shaking with heat rolling off of him in waves. They all started laughing and I couldn't help myself. I smacked him square across the face. It nearly felt like I broke my hand, but I wasn't paying attention to that.

I noticed that he was shaking even more now, like an animal. I heard growling coming from deep inside him and I started freaking out. "Too late now!" The one on the end said, laughing.

"Bella, get back, now!" Sam shouted, but I was determined to see what would happen. I started backing away slowly. "Paul," that must have been his name. "Calm down now." Sam told him while still motioning for me to walk away.

I heard a deep growl come from him as he hunched over, his shorts ripping into shreds as he turned from man into a giant silvery gray wolf. He shook out his fur and started growling at me. I knew about the wolves, but it was much different seeing one in person. He looked at me with such human eyes. I didn't feel scared of him, I felt scared for Jake.

I got nervous and turned around, starting to run. I saw Jake come out of his house, running towards me. "Bella!" He yelled as the wolf behind me growled viciously.

"Run!" I yelled, "Jake, run!" but he kept running towards me. I tripped over something on the ground and fell, right as Jake jumped over me, I saw him turn into a wolf in mid-air. I couldn't believe Jake was one of them. I just stared as the two wolves stood there, growling at each other, then they lunged for each other. They circled each other and fought, eventually making their way into the woods as they bit one another.

"Hey, take Bella back to Emily's place." Sam told the other two who nodded and began walking toward me.

"Guess the wolf's out of the bag."

Embry reached his hand out to help me up and when I was finally on my feet, I looked up at him. My eyes caught his for just a split second, but I felt like I was transported to a different world. I felt the broken pieces of me stitch themselves back together in an instant and I nearly forgot all of the pain Edward had put me through. It hadn't even hurt to think his name. I felt odd, sort of light, but anchored at the same time. I hadn't realized I was still staring into Embry's dark brown eyes until I heard Jared behind me.

"Oh shit! This just got real interesting." I broke my eye contact, but my hand was still in Embry's. It felt nice. Right. What in the world was happening?!

"Um, what just happened?" I asked Embry, but he seemed to still be dazed as he looked at me. "Em?" I asked, waving my free hand in front of his face. He seemed to snap out of it then, looking down, then back over to the woods.

"Fuck." He muttered, and it caught me by surprise, I'd never heard Embry Call curse.

"Damn, Embry, only you, man, only you." Jared said to him, patting him on the back and shaking his head as he walked to my truck.


	2. Chapter 2

"What did he mean by that, Embry?" I asked him, and he suddenly looked back up to me.

"We need to get to Emily's. Be prepared, Bella, you're about to have an information overload tonight." I finally let go of his hand, feeling the loss of contact immediately. We walked to my truck and without any words, he jumped in the drivers seat and I reluctantly got in the passenger seat. Jared was already standing in the back. It was a very quiet ride there, and Embry's eyes seemed to be glued on the road as I took the time to study him. I didn't know what was happening, but I felt like if I walked away from him I would be lost. Why did I feel like that? Why was I itching to touch him, to feel his werewolf heat? Why was I no longer conflicted over Edward or Jacob? It was like all of the romantic feelings were gone immediately, and I felt like they should be there, but they just weren't.

We pulled up to a wooden house deep in the forest and they both hopped out. I rolled down the window.

"Hey I think we should go back and see if Jacob's alright." I told them and they both started laughing.

"I hope Paul sinks his teeth into him, serves him right." Jared said as they walked toward the house.

"No way, Jacob's a natural. Did you see how he phased on the fly? I got 5 says that Paul doesn't touch him." Embry told Jared. "Come on in, Bella. We won't bite." He yelled back to me, but his eyes were glistening with play. It stirred something deep inside me.

I reluctantly got out of the truck and walked toward Embry who had turned back around to tell me something.

"Oh look, about Emily, Sam's fiancée, don't stare. It bugs Sam." He said before walking inside. I was confused. "Why would I stare?" I asked but he was already inside.

I walked just inside the door to see Jared grabbing a muffin and Embry walking over to a woman, who I assumed to be Emily, whispering in her ear. Her eyes went wide for a second as she turned around. Embry walked back past me, out to the porch and I could feel our proximity to each other. "Go, talk to Emily." He told me before sitting on the edge of the porch and putting his head into his hands. Why was he upset?

I turned back to Emily inside and she turned around carrying a tray of muffins. I saw her face and immediately knew why he had said not to stare. She had jagged scars running down one side of her face that looked like claw marks.

"You must be Bella, come in." She said with a cheerful smile. "Muffin?" She asked and I hadn't realized how hungry I actually was.

"Sure." I said, walking up to get the muffin she handed me. "So you're the vampire girl?" She asked and I could have sworn I heard a growl from outside.

"Not… not anymore." I replied, honestly believing it now. "You must be the wolf girl." I said and she just laughed. "Guess so, well I'm engaged to one." She said and motioned me to sit down, but I declined.

"Is Embry ok?" I asked her and she looked up at me with a soft smile.

"He's a bit conflicted, but he'll be fine. Why don't you take him a muffin. I'm sure he's hungry." Emily said, handing me another muffin. I wondered what she meant by conflicted? I took the muffin and walked back out onto the porch, sitting down next to him, handing it to him before taking a bite of my own.

"Thanks." He said, taking the muffin before biting nearly half of it off in one bite.

"Are you going to tell me what happened back at Jakes?" I asked him and he closed his eyes.

"It's a wolf thing." He muttered, but I could sense it was much more than that.

"I gathered that much. Are you going to tell me what it is?" I asked him.

"Bella, I—" He was about to talk when we heard the same animal call from the woods, where Sam, Paul, and Jacob were walking towards us. "I need to talk to Sam." I felt disappointed at the fact that I still had no answers and now Embry was getting up and walking in the other direction, Sam running to catch up to him.

Jacob was walking up to me after Paul passed by, walking inside. "What's up with Em?" Jake asked as he walked up and helped me to my feet. His touch didn't feel right anymore. I let go immediately.

"I don't know." I told him honestly, but something inside me was telling me not to say anymore until I spoke with Embry himself.

I walked around to the edge of the house, and peered around the corner, where I could see Sam and Embry speaking about something quietly before Sam put his hand on Embry's shoulder and then hugged him. It could feel a small tug pulling from my chest in Embry's direction and he looked up immediately, seeing me peeking. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks before I quickly turned around and walked inside the house.

I stood by the counter watching Jacob, Paul and Jared shoving muffins in their faces before Sam walked inside.

"Jacob, Embry needs to speak with you, outside." Sam said seriously in a tone I hadn't heard. Jacob's expression immediately went blank and he nodded, walking outside.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" I heard Emily ask Sam and he walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her looking down at her with the most loving, devoted expression I'd ever seen before kissing all of her scars several times.

"They have no choice but to be." He told her and I wondered what was happening. No one would tell me.

"Can someone please tell me what is going on?" I asked and they all turned to me.

"Bella, Embry will explain everything once he is done talking to Jacob." Sam said to me, just before I heard growling outside. Suddenly, I saw two large wolves, fighting each other just outside the window. One was a red brown I recognized as Jacob and the other was a dark gray, whom I could immediately tell was Embry.

"Why are they fighting?" I asked, watching out the door as Jacob viciously attacked Embry, but Embry was attacking back just as hard.

"Because Em broke the biggest rule in the bro code, and not even on purpose!" I heard Jared say and Paul smacked him in the back of the head. What did that mean?

Sam shook his head and walked outside towards the wolves. "Enough!" He commanded and they both stopped, looking at him. "What's done is done, respect it." I heard Jacob's wolf whimper as he ran into the woods fast. Embry's wolf looked at me with an unreadable expression before I found my feet taking me to him without even knowing it. I walked up to him, noticing just how huge the wolves were up close. I wasn't scared of him, not even a little. I reached up and touched his face, making him lean into my hand while sniffing me. He moved closer to me and put his nose under my chin, between my shoulder and neck, sniffing.

Before I knew it, he loped off into the woods before walking out moments later with only his shorts on.

"Take a walk with me?" He asked and I found myself nodding as I walked in his direction. I followed him down a path that lead to the beach below.

"Will you tell me what happened now? And what was that with Jake?" I asked, not being able to hold it back any longer.

"I had to tell him before I talked to you, it was only fair. Jacob has been my best friend since we were babies and what just happened essentially was like the spirits way of me stabbing him in the back on accident." He told me and I just looked at him.

"So what happened?" I asked, needing to know now.

"Like I said, it's a wolf thing. It was supposed to be super rare to happen, and I definitely didn't think it would happen to me, seeing as I'm only half Quileute, which was a surprise that I even phased at all." He was rambling now.

"Embry, just tell me." I told him, grabbing his arm to stop him and turn him around to look at me.

"I imprinted on you, Bella." He said and I stared up at him in confusion.

 **A/N: I love Embry, I really do. He just seems so sweet. I also have a Bella/Paul story in the works because I cant help but favor the misunderstood.**


	3. Chapter 3

_"Embry, just tell me." I told him, grabbing his arm to stop him and turn him around to look at me._

 _"I imprinted on you, Bella." He said and I stared up at him in confusion._

* * *

"What's imprinting?" I asked him and he ran his hand over his face.

"Imprinting is when one of us essentially find our soul mate. It links us in a supernatural way. When one of us finds our imprint, when we look directly into their eyes the first time, the whole world shifts for us. Nothing matters anymore except our imprint. Gravity doesn't matter anymore. It's like there's a million steel cables holding us to her. Ensuring her safety, happiness, being whatever she needs, no matter what that is." He told me and I just stood there in shock. I was his soulmate?

"And I'm your imprint?" I asked him, and he nodded. "So that's why I feel the connection with you now?" He nodded again. "Why did you have to tell Jake first?"

"Because Jacob has been in love with you for who knows how long. And me, his best friend, just all of a sudden looks at you once and you're it for me. I thought he deserved to know directly from me instead of from one of the others." I just nodded, still in shock from hearing that I was someone's actual soulmate.

"But you've looked at me before, what changed now?" I asked him and he smiled softly.

"I wasn't a wolf before. It only happens after you phase for the first time. I haven't seen you properly since I phased." He told me and I nodded.

"Are you guys the ones that are killing people"? I just had to know. I couldn't believe it if they were.

"What? No, Bella. We are protectors, we don't kill anyone, except vampires, the ones that are actually killing people. We got that guy with the dreads easily enough." He told me.

"Laurent? You killed him? How is that possible?" I asked him and he just looked at me.

"You knew him?" I nodded. "We were made to kill vampires, Bella. They are our one true enemy. They may be fast, but we're faster. We ripped him to shreds and set him on fire. The redhead is next." He told me and I felt myself panic.

"Vi-Victoria?" I asked and he looked at me quickly, noticing my panic.

"You knew her too? She keeps coming back but we aren't quite sure why." He said and I felt myself pale.

"I do. Me. She's after me." I told him and I could see his eyes widen before he started shaking. I put my hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Embry." He took a few deep breaths and stopped shaking, looking up at me.

"Why is she after you?" He asked with a low strained voice.

"Edward killed her mate, James, so she wants me dead because she thinks I'm his mate." I heard an unnatural growl come from his throat.

"You aren't his mate. You're mine." He growled under his breath. I'd never seen Embry like this, but I wasn't scared at all. I felt… safe?

"Embry, Embry, look at me. I'm not his mate, okay? I'm your imprint. Don't go all wolfy on me now, alright?" I told him, holding my hands on either side of his face. He took a few deep breaths and calmed down again, reaching up to hold my hands.

"I'm going to rip her to shreds." He said as I dropped my hands from his face. "I'll have to tell Sam."

"So what happens now?" I asked him, not really sure what was going to happen next.

"You're part of the pack now, as an imprint, just like Emily. I know this is all too much for you right now, I can feel your anxiety from here. I will try my best to help you through everything. I know it's too soon for anything else, but I will be whatever you need me to be." He told me and I could hear the true sincerity of it in his voice, and the pleading in his eyes.

"Okay. You know, I missed you, Em. Jake had me thinking that Sam hijacked you into some cult." I told him honestly and he smiled brilliantly.

"You missed me?" He asked, kind of shocked to hear it.

"Yeah, I did. I was getting used to hanging out with you guys and having fun, then you just disappeared. The next time I saw you, you were jumping off a cliff with Sam and them. I was really worried about you guys, but Jake told me it was just recreational cliff diving. Let me guess, being a wolf makes you a bit more invincible now, huh?" I asked and he laughed.

"Yeah, we are a bit harder to break now, and we heal really fast." He told me, and I nodded, kind of excited to hear about werewolves. I felt the wind hit me from the beach and I shivered, it was really cold coming off the water. He must have sensed I was cold because he put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in towards him. I relaxed immediately. He was so hot, it felt like a really bad fever.

"Why are you so hot?" I asked him before blushing hard, I hadn't meant it to sound like that. He laughed.

"It's a wolf thing too, we are all about 108 degrees constantly. So if you ever need to warm up…"

"You can be my personal space heater, huh? You'll probably regret telling me that because im cold a lot."

"I assure you, I don't mind." He told me, leaning in and sniffing my hair?

"Did you just sniff me?" I asked him and he didn't move away.

"It's comforting. Your scent is very relaxing for me, and helps me know you are safe. I'm sorry if that unsettling to you." He told me, but I just shook my head.

"No it's fine, I don't mind." I told him and we began to walk back. We didn't really talk much more on the way back to Emily's, but he kept his arm around me, keeping me warm.

Once we got back to the house, he didn't let go, we just walked inside to see the whole crew still there, waiting.

"Welcome to the pack, Bella." Sam said as we walked in.

"Uh, thanks." I said, still pretty unsure about what to do.

"Sam, the redheaded leech, she's after Bella." Embry told him almost immediately. He still had his arm around me, but it had moved down around my waist, almost protectively.

"After Bella?" He asked, and Embry nodded. "Well, now we know why she's been circling Forks, including the High School. Why is the redhead after you, Bella?"

"Last year, some nomads were passing through. They saw the Cullens and I happened to be with them. It was Laurent, the one with the dreads that you guys killed, Victoria, the red head, and her mate, James. He caught my scent and was fixated on killing me. He chased me down to Phoenix, where I thought he had my mom, and well, long story short, Edward killed him. Now Victoria wants revenge, and because she thought that I was Edwards mate…"

"She wants a mate for a mate. But you aren't Edwards mate." Sam said.

"Even if she knew that, I doubt it would matter. I was the reason James was killed." I told them while unconsciously holding the silvery bite mark on my arm that was always colder than the rest of my skin. Embry noticed, but he didn't say anything.

"We double patrols around Bella's house. I don't want her or Charlie unguarded at any time. Bella, every spare chance you get, we will need you down here on the res. It will be easier to protect you here." Sam said and I nodded my head.

"Charlie won't understand if I'm down here all the time, what will I tell him?" I asked him and he looked at Emily and smiled.

"You can tell him that you'll be helping Emily with wedding plans. The entire pack will vouch for you." Sam told me and I nodded.

I couldn't believe how much my life had changed in just a few hours. I felt like I had an entirely new family.

"I need to go home tonight, Charlie must be worrying about where I am." I told them. I could feel Embry's arm get tighter around me.

"Bella, can I talk to you for a minute?" Emily spoke up and I looked at her with curiosity, before nodding and following her outside, much to Embry's reluctance to let me go. "I'm sorry, I just needed to tell you a few things about being an imprint that Embry wouldn't know to tell you yet."

"Ok, what do I need to know?" I asked, wondering how much more information I could possibly handle in one day.

"The first few weeks are going to be especially hard for Embry. When Sam imprinted on me, he couldn't go more than a few hours without seeing me, without me tangibly being there in front of him to make sure I was safe. Bella, you're already in danger. Embry is already on high alert, you living off the reservation is going to make it nearly unbearable for him. When Sam said for you to be here any spare chance you get, he really means it. I can call Charlie and talk to him about you 'helping' me, but you should really stay at least tonight. Embry wouldn't ask you to, at least not yet, but he really needs you to be here. I know this is all too much for you, but I promise I'll help with what I can since I've been there. Ask Embry to go with you to your house to get some things and I'll call your dad." Emily told me and I was surprised, I didn't think that being apart would affect him, but it sounded like it would, big time. I had no words, so I just nodded and we walked back in to the house.

"Embry, do you want to come with me to my house to get some things so that I can spend the night?" I asked and his eyebrows rose before he smiled and nodded happily.

"Well, that's settled then, Embry will ride with Bella in her truck, Paul and Jared, you'll run ahead." Sam said and everyone agreed. Embry put his arm back around my waist as he walked with me out to my truck. He opened the passenger door and motioned to for me to get in.

"What is it with you guys and never letting me drive my own truck? I'm not a bad driver!" I told him and he just laughed, running over to the drivers side before I could scoot across the bench seat.

"It's because I have wolf instincts which make my reaction time much quicker. I promise I'll let you drive your own truck again, I'll just feel much better if I do until the redhead is taken care of." He told me and I understood what he was saying, even though it made me feel like I was weak. "I'm sorry, Bella. Sam told me I would be a bit overprotective for a little while. He said I won't be able to control it, just like the whole sniffing thing."

"No, I get it, it's alright. I'll just need time to adjust to it all. I'm not used to this. It's hard for me to believe it, not because I don't feel it, because I do, but because I was told that I was everything to someone before, and I was abandoned." I told him, looking away as he started to drive. He reached over and put his hand on my leg.

"If you won't believe anything else, believe this. I will never abandon you, the pack will never abandon you. You are one of us now, Bella. This is forever." He told me and I actually believed him.


	4. Chapter 4

_"If you won't believe anything else, believe this. I will never abandon you, the pack will never abandon you. You are one of us now, Bella. This is forever." He told me and I actually believed him._

* * *

"I'm sorry fate chose such a complicated person to be your soul mate. I'm just a walking sentence for trouble, whether it is supernatural or clumsiness." I told him, not expecting him to laugh.

"Bella, I know I'm a bit biased, but I would not change a single thing about you being my imprint. Tell me, how did you feel before we imprinted?" He asked me and I looked over at him.

"Broken. I was broken and confused. I didn't trust anyone, I felt hollow and just missing something." I told him honestly. I didn't think I could ever lie to him and I didn't want to.

"And how do you feel now?" He asked, his hand still on my leg.

"Like I'm whole again. I can feel in my heart that I can trust you and the rest of the pack. I don't feel like something is missing anymore." I said, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Sam told me that imprinting is finding the other half of yourself. We are equals and I never want you to think you're anything but my equal. I might turn into a giant dog, but you'll be the one who keeps me grounded. I was just a lost puppy before and now I have purpose. I have to admit, I even had a crush on you before I imprinted, but I would have never acted on it because of Jacob." He told me and I looked up at him, surprised.

"You had a crush on me?" I asked him.

"How could I not? You were the whole package. Beauty and brains. I was legitimately jealous that Jake got to you first." He said and I got sad.

"Are you and Jake going to be okay?" I asked him, knowing that they had been best friends for so long.

"Only time will tell, I guess. I mean I imprinted on the girl he loved. Not only does that break so many guy rules, he can't just run away from it. Jake is part of the pack. We hear each other's thoughts in wolf form. Not only will he have to see us together, he'll have to hear about it in my head when we are both phased at the same time. I'm sure Sam will not let us phase at the same time for a while, because I might kill him for what he thinks about you too. We all got used to you being a pretty permanent feature in Jake's thoughts." He said to me and I honestly hadn't thought about it that way before.

"For what it's worth, I only ever thought of Jacob as my best friend. I knew he wanted more but I just couldn't." I said honestly. "When you imprinted on me, any feelings I had for anyone else just disappeared. I guess I'm kinda glad you didn't have a girlfriend. Wait, you don't have a girlfriend, do you?" I asked quickly, afraid of the answer.

"No, I didn't have a girlfriend, but it does relieve me to hear that you didn't share Jake's feelings." He replied. It wasn't long after that we pulled into the driveway of my house. All of the lights were off, and Charlie's police cruiser was gone so I assumed he was at work.

Embry got out of the truck first and froze for a second. He opened my door for me and I got out quickly.

"We have to be quick, she's been here, recently." He told me, sniffing the air. I heard a wolf howling in the woods. "They are going to track her scent." I nodded, worried as I rushed into the house and up the stairs to my room.

As soon as I went in my room, Embry followed, but stopped at the doorway. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

"Everything okay?" I asked him, wondering what he was doing. I hoped Victoria hadn't been in my house.

"Great." He said, before snapping out of it. I handed him my bag and started packing the things I needed for staying overnight. "Jacob has been in here recently."

"He came by last night." I told him and he growled.

"Em, you have to calm down. Jake has been my best friend for a while. There's going to be his scent on like half the things I own, okay? You already know this." I told him and he looked over at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Bella. My rational thought goes out the window when I think of how close you've been to Jake and coupling that with his thoughts from before… It'll take me a while to get used to all of it." He told me and I finished gathering my things in my bag and put it on the floor. He looked down at the bag, then back up at me with a confused expression. I did the only thing I could think of at the moment.

I wrapped my arms around him and just hugged him tightly. His arms wound their way around my body and held me closely as he leaned down burying his face in my hair. It felt like home, if there was such a feeling. I felt safe, the safest I'd ever been, and I knew that even though Embry would always be my protector, I needed to be his too. He was right, we were equals and I was determined to show him that I could be.

He reluctantly pulled away, resting his forehead against mine as he inhaled deeply, his eyes closed. "What was that for?" He asked, "Not that I'd ever complain about being on the receiving end of that."

"I just knew you needed it as much as I did. Our connection isn't one-sided, and I want you to know that I will do my best to be everything that you need too, even though I don't have the wolfy instinct for it, okay?" I told him, smiling up at him as he still had his arms resting on my waist.

"You are incredible, you know that?" He said, smiling brilliantly at me before leaning down and grabbing my bag, walking me back out to the truck.

On the ride back to the res, we talked about random things, but nothing huge until we got closer to our destination.

"Hey Em, are we going back to Emily's place?" I asked him as I noticed us going the same way as before.

"That was the plan… unless you don't want to?" He replied and I thought about it for a minute.

"Well, it's just that Emily told me that it would be really hard to be separated any sort of distance for the first few weeks, so I just thought maybe we should at least stay under the same roof, for tonight at least. I mean, if that's okay with you." I told him, brushing a piece of hair from my face. I was nervous about my proposition.

"You mean you'd be willing to come to my house?" He asked incredulously, clearly in shock.

"Yeah, I mean, if its okay with you, and I guess your mom?" I said, getting nervous again. I'd never met Tiffany Call, but I'd heard stories.

"My mom won't be home for another two weeks. She's in New York with her newest boyfriend, so the house is empty, except for me. Bella, you're welcome at my house at any time. You're my imprint, my entire future. What little I have is always available to you." He told me before driving down a different road, I was guessing towards his house.

"Does it sound strange to you, finding your soulmate at 17?" I asked him and he laughed softly.

"I guess it would to an outsider. Age means nothing to us anymore now that we are wolves. As long as I phase, I'll look the same age as I do right now. Some people wait their entire lives and never find the right person, and I was able to find mine with just a little supernatural help so early in life. It just means I'll get more time with you in the end. I really don't feel like a 17 year old anymore, after everything that we've all been through, you know? What about you?" He asked and I smiled at him.

"I'm glad that it happened. I mean, I'm only 18, but I don't think we are too young. Like you said, it gives us more time in the end. Doesn't it kind of feel like a supernatural marriage almost? Like, we know we are soul mates, we are connected by a bond." I asked him just as he was pulling into a driveway.

"Technically speaking, it could be recognized as a marriage by the tribe elders. Since only the elders and us know about being wolves and imprinting, no one else would understand, so they don't, but it was like that a long time ago." He told me, turning off the truck. I made a 'hmm' sound and got out of the truck walking up to the two-story log cabin. "Well, this is it. When we get inside, I'll call Sam and let him know where we are."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the house, the front door unlocked as we walked right through. It was a beautiful home, but there weren't many pictures or sentimental items.

"Make yourself at home. The entire second floor is mine, so feel free to explore." He told me as he went to grab the phone and call Sam. I walked up the steps with my bag, seeing a huge loft with a queen sized bed at one end, large bookshelves lining one entire side, a bathroom and a couch. I definitely hadn't been expecting the bookshelves, lined with books. Some were very old looking, some in a different language all together, and some were new. I put my bag down next to the bed and fell backwards onto it.

It felt like it was a mattress made in heaven, and it smelled like Embry, so that was a huge incentive. I just laid there with my eyes closed until I heard a door close. I opened my eyes and sat up, seeing Embry leaning against his door, smiling.

"Comfortable?" He asked and I blushed.

"I couldn't help myself. It just looked so soft and it smelled like you. Your bed is like the best mattress I've ever felt, hands down." I told him honestly, falling back into it. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to me, letting himself fall backwards too.

"Feel free to take over my bed anytime. It's my favorite spot in this house, and it will be even more now because it has your scent. Every time I wash my sheets, you better come back." He said, turning on his side to face me.

"Who said I was ever going to leave this bed?" I asked him, jokingly, but I could see his pupils widen. He swallowed and closed his eyes for a second.

"I would be a very happy wolf if you didn't." He told me with a smirk.

"What would the rest of the pack think?" I turned on my side to look at him with laughter in my eyes.

"Who cares. I'd have my imprint in my bed." He said before laughing. He was looking at me with an unreadable expression before he reached over and brushed a piece of hair out of my face. I leaned into his hand, feeling the heat radiating off of him and feeling our connection hum in such close proximity. I swear I could feel the happiness from him, but I wouldn't focus on that at the moment.

"Will it always be like this?" I asked him curiously, wanting to know more about imprinting and werewolves.

"According to Sam and our legends, yes. Sam said that he still feels the exact same as he did the first day with Emily. The feeling never fades, it will always be this intense." He told me and deep down that excited me. To feel this all the time? It was nothing like how I felt for Edward, or Jacob. It was so different, yet so right.

"It just feels like home." I told him and he scooted closer to me, pressing his head up against mine.

"You are my home now. Wherever you are, that's where home will be for me. I know it sounds all mushy and too much for us who haven't ever dated or anything, but it's the truth and I know you can feel it too." He said as he rested his forehead against mine. I agreed with him. I could feel it and I knew it was true.

"I know." I told him before letting my mind wander. "What are we going to tell Charlie, or your mom? They are going to think something is up. Like all of a sudden out of nowhere, me and you are a thing and I feel like our actions are going to speak louder than our words." I told him, opening my eyes to look at him. He lifted his head and kissed my forehead gently.

"Calm down, loca. I can contain myself in front of your dad for a little while. We can just tell him we had been hanging out like we were at Jake's and just hit it off and I finally asked you to be my girlfriend. As for my mom, she's hardly ever here and when she is, we don't really talk much. She yells at me for sneaking out, and says I'm grounded, but she never enforces it." He told me and I looked at him quizzically.

"What did you mean earlier when you said you're only half Quileute and it was a surprise that you even phased?" I asked him, really wanting to know. He rolled back on his back and ran his hands down his face as he took a deep breath. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, I want you to know. Only the pack knows right now, so I need to get it off my chest." He said before sitting up. I sat up as well, reaching for his hand. "My mom is from the Macah Tribe. She moved here when she was pregnant with me. She was unmarried and they thought she moved here to get away from my father, but it wasn't until I phased that we knew at least part of the truth. Only people from certain bloodlines in Quileute tribe have the wolf gene, which means that I'm the son of one of three people. Billy Black, Quil Ateara IV, or Joshua Uley." I looked over at him with my eyes wide.

"Which would mean that—" I began but he finished my sentence.

"One of my pack brothers is actually my real brother. Either one of my best friends, or my alpha. I don't think it was Billy, because I'm a few months older than Jake and he felt the pull to be alpha, but I didn't." He told me, but I was still shocked to hear the information.

"And you can't ask your mom?" I asked him and he continued playing with my fingers as he had absentmindedly been doing for the last few minutes.

"No, she can't know about me being a wolf. Only the elders know about us. I asked mom before I turned wolf and was told that he was dead and to not ask about it again. I only know he's one of them because of the wolf gene, so I can't ask her. It sucks though because all three of them were married when I was conceived, so one of them was having an affair. I honestly think it was Sam's dad because he took off when Sam was little, but after I was born. He just left them. Proves what kind of father he is. Quil's dad died from a storm a while back, so there's no one but Billy to ask, and I wouldn't do that to Jake. I just wish I knew, you know? Like I know I have a brother, but I don't know which one it is." He said, exasperated. I could tell it was weighing on him heavily and I leaned in, wrapping my arms around him. I felt him deflate in my arms.

"Have you ever thought about doing a DNA test?" I asked him, wondering if he'd thought about that option before.

"We can't send off our blood or anything because it would bring up too many questions with being a wolf and everything." He responded dejectedly.

"We'll figure it out, Embry. I'll help you find out who your father is, if anything just to find out who your brother is. There's other ways." I told him, honestly hoping we could figure it out. He deserved to know.

"Thank you. You don't know what that means to me." He told me and I could just feel my heart clench. After a few more moments, sitting there just hugging, I could hear his stomach growl and I pulled back, laughing.

* * *

 **A/N I have about 20,000 words written for this story so far, but reviews will push me further. It's been a long time since I've written anything so help me out!**


	5. Chapter 5

_"We'll figure it out, Embry. I'll help you find out who your father is, if anything just to find out who your brother is. There's other ways." I told him, honestly hoping we could figure it out. He deserved to know._

 _"Thank you. You don't know what that means to me." He told me and I could just feel my heart clench. After a few more moments, sitting there just hugging, I could hear his stomach growl and I pulled back, laughing._

* * *

"I guess you're hungry, huh?" I asked and he just started laughing.

"Always am." He told me as I stood up.

"Let me guess, it's a wolf thing too?" I asked and he nodded, looking confused as to why I got up. "Well come on, your stomach isn't going to feed itself." I told him and his eyes raised as he looked at me quizzically. "You have a kitchen and food, right?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Then come on, I'm making you dinner." I told him, reaching my hand out for him to get up, just as he did this morning when we imprinted. He grabbed my hand, then all of a sudden yanked me down towards him. I landed directly on top of him as we both laughed. When I stopped laughing, I looked down at him and noticed he was looking at me with that unreadable expression again. Before I knew it, my lips were pressed to his and we were kissing. It was so much different than I'd ever kissed before. There was passion, a hunger, a need to feel more, but I pulled myself away.

"That was—"

"I'm sorry, I know it was too soon, I just couldn't help myself—" He began but I cut him off.

"Shut up, Embry. I was going to say that was incredible. Now stop apologizing for something we both wanted." I told him, standing back up.

"Spirits, woman, you'll be the death of me." He said as he stood up, I turned my head but still noticed him adjust himself before following me downstairs.

I made him a huge pot of spaghetti from what I could find in the cabinets and nearly choked seeing the amount that Embry pretty much inhaled.

"Holy crow, where does it all go?" I asked him as I looked at his muscular toned chest and abs.

"We burn it all off when we phase. Our metabolism is through the roof. Like I said, I'm hungry all the time." He told me and I just smiled at him.

"I guess it's a good thing I like to cook." I told him and his eyes lit up.

"If everything you make tastes as good as that, I might end up needing to phase more often to burn it off. That was delicious." He told me, taking both of our plates to wash in the sink.

When we were done cleaning up, we both went back upstairs. I knew I needed a shower.

"Hey is it alright if I take a shower?" I asked him.

"Bella, you don't have to ask about anything in my house, ever." He told me and I just smiled and grabbed my bag, heading for the bathroom. I took a quick shower, mesmerized by Embry's body wash, and as I was drying myself off, I looked through my bag, only then realizing I forgot to pack any pajamas. Crap.

I opened the door just barely and called out. "Embry?" He was there in front of the door in no time at all.

"Everything ok?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah, I just- I forgot to pack any pajamas. Is there- is there anything I can borrow to wear? All I have is jeans." I asked him, embarrassed. I could barely see him through the small crack I was holding the door open, but he just nodded and went over to his dresser, bringing me back a small pile of clothes. I opened the door wider to grab the clothes and he saw me in nothing but my towel before he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, biting on his lip.

"Thank you," I told him before shutting the door and quickly putting the clothes on. He had given me what looked like an old pair of his sweats and a t-shirt, which he most likely never had to wear anymore. Seeing his reaction to seeing me in a towel had heat pooling in my abdomen more so that it ever had before. I took a few deep breaths and walked out of the bathroom, my hair still pretty damp.

Embry was now sitting on the couch, reading a book as I walked out. He looked up at me before patting the seat next to him.

"Come sit," he said and I put my bag down, walking over and sitting next to him on the couch. I curled up into his side, tucking my feet under myself as I rested my head on his arm. He gently lifted his arm and put it around me. "You smell divine." He said as he leaned down, smelling my hair.

"I smell mostly like you." I told him, smelling the shirt he gave me.

"Mmm. I know, you smell like me, but you also smell like you. The scents are mixed and I'll be damned if it's not the best thing I think I've ever smelled. I don't know how Sam resisted for so long. And don't worry, I promise I will too, until you're ready." He told me, pressing a kiss into my head. I felt my cheeks go red, but I just leaned further into his chest.

"Read to me?" I asked him, even though I had no idea what he was reading. Apparently it was some of the legends of the Quileute tribe, and I rested peacefully, listening to him reading to me as I closed my eyes.

I hadn't realized I had actually fallen asleep until I woke up to him carrying me to his bed. He laid me down and then started walking away towards the couch.

"Where are you going?" I asked him groggily. My heat source was gone.

"I'm going to sleep on the couch." He told me. "Go back to sleep, babe." I was so tired I didn't even notice the nickname.

"Get your butt over here, Embry Call. I know your trying to be a gentleman, but you can control yourself sleeping in the same bed." I told him, closing my eyes again. I felt him get into the bed carefully and lay down on his back. I scooted over to him and laid my head on his shoulder, immediately feeling his heat warm me to the core. "Mmm, you're so warm." I felt him press another kiss to my forehead and turn off the bedside lamp.

"Goodnight, Bella." He whispered to me.

"Goodnight, Em." I mumbled back to him, wrapping my arms around his arm before drifting off to the most peaceful, nightmare-free sleep I'd ever had. In fact, I found myself having a dream of a gray wolf nuzzling me, a pack that would protect me, and eventually a very tiny set of hands and feet with lighter colored russet skin. I wondered if the dream was part of the imprint, or if it was just my subconscious.

I woke to the sun breaking through the curtains, only to find myself wrapped in strong arms from behind me. Apparently I was the little spoon, but I was so comfortable and warm that I didn't want to move. It wasn't until Embry's cell started vibrating beside the bed that I had to shake him awake.

"Huh? What's wrong?" He asked as I shook him awake.

"Your phone is ringing." I told him and he released me, flipping over and grabbing the phone. "Hey Sam. Sorry man, I just woke up. I completely forgot that I had patrol this morning." I heard him say, rubbing his eyes. "Thanks, boss. I owe you one." He said before hanging up.

"You had patrol this morning?" I asked him, feeling bad for keeping him.

"Nah, Sam said he had already switched it to Jared because of what happened yesterday. He knew we needed some time. He was just calling to make sure everything went ok last night." He told me and I nodded.

"So when is your next patrol?" I asked him and he laid back down.

"Not until tomorrow. He gave me the whole day off. It's a shame he had to interrupt such a good dream though." He told me, burying his face into my neck and inhaling deeply.

"I had a pretty awesome dream last night too. Your wolf was in it, and so was the pack, and—"

"and a baby?" he asked and I looked at him quizzically.

"…yeah. Did- did we have the same dream?" I asked him and his eyes widened.

"It was the same as what I saw the moment we imprinted." He told me. "You'll have to ask Emily if she's ever shared dreams with Sam. He hasn't ever mentioned it, but he doesn't really say much about his imprint with Emily. He can keep his thoughts about them pretty well closed off. I guess I'll need to learn that too."

"So what do you think the dream was about?" I asked him, wondering if he knew already.

"When we imprinted, I saw nearly the exact same thing, just in about a split second glance. I think it was glimpses into our future maybe, or what could happen. I don't know much about seeing the future, so I'm not sure." He told me and my thought went directly to Alice, who could see glimpses of the future.

"Alice, one of the Cullens, she could see the future. So it's a possible thing, I guess. But her visions could change depending on decisions that were made." I told him, wondering if we were shown because of fate's decision to imprint.

"How could she see the future?" He asked, bringing his face out of my neck and leaning over me.

"She was gifted. Some vampires are gifted. Alice could see the future, Edward could read thoughts, and Jasper could influence moods." I told him, not needing to keep anything from him.

"He could read thoughts?" He asked and I cringed, thinking about how much anger I now felt towards Edward.

"Everyone's but mine." I told him and he sighed.

"Yesterday when you spoke of the vampire that chased you down to phoenix, you held your wrist. What happened down there, Bella?" He asked me and I instinctively went to hold my wrist again, but he gently grabbed my arm and moved my fingers away from the silvery cold bite mark. As soon as he saw it, I could hear the deep growl in his throat.

"It bit you! How are you not turned into one of them?" He asked immediately, staring at the bite mark.

"James, the tracker, he lured me to an old dance studio, making me think he had my mom. It was a trap. He bit me, but the Cullens got there quick enough to suck out the venom, stopping it from changing me. They killed James but I had a broken leg and was in the hospital for a couple weeks. That area of my skin is always much colder than the rest of me." I told him and I could tell he was battling himself, thinking of me being in that situation. He had his hand over the bite mark and his eyes closed. "Embry, Em, look at me." I told him and he opened his eyes looking up at me. "It was before we ever met, okay? There's nothing you could have done to prevent it and there's nothing that you could do now to fix it." I told him and his eyes went red and watery.

"I just- you could have died before I even met you, before I imprinted on you. My soulmate could have died and I wouldn't have even known." He told me and I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"But I didn't, and I'm right here. I'm okay, I'm more than okay. Alright?" I said to him as I hugged him tightly. I could feel a tight pain in my chest, but it lifted the longer I hugged him. "You can't think like that, okay?"

"I'm sorry, I just had a moment where I thought about what would have happened if I never met you, and I just can't imagine my life without you in it now. It just hurts, like it physically hurt." He told me and I nodded.

"I know, I felt it too." I told him and looked up at me, confused. "Looks like we have a few questions for Sam and Emily."

"So what do you want to do today? Lazy day in or do you want to go down to the beach? I'm up for anything." He asked me and I thought about it for a little while before looking over at him.

"I think we should have a half-lazy day, then go to the beach, then we can go over to Sam's and ask our questions, if you want to." I told him.

"Sounds like a plan to me." He said before burying his face back into my neck.

* * *

 **A/N What do you guys think so far? There's more action coming up I promise.**


	6. Chapter 6

_"So what do you want to do today? Lazy day in or do you want to go down to the beach? I'm up for anything." He asked me and I thought about it for a little while before looking over at him._

 _"I think we should have a half-lazy day, then go to the beach, then we can go over to Sam's and ask our questions, if you want to." I told him._

 _"Sounds like a plan to me." He said before burying his face back into my neck._

* * *

We spent the morning watching a movie on the TV after I cooked pancakes for breakfast. Then we went down to First Beach, where it was oddly quiet. There was only one or two other people there besides us. We talked about so many things, just random things, it truly felt like I had known him forever. It was hard to remember what I felt like before.

After we were done with the beach, we walked up to Sam and Emily's, since it was so close. Embry did his wolf call outside and Sam came out almost immediately.

"Embry, Bella, come in." He said, motioning for us to go inside. "What brings you two by?"

"We had some questions, about you know, imprinting." Embry told him, kind of embarrassed. I grabbed his hand reassuringly.

"Ask away." Sam told us.

"Well, last night, Bella and I both had the same dream. It was the same as what I saw when I imprinted." Embry told him and he smiled. Good sign.

"Emily and I did too, but she hadn't been in the same location as me, so we didn't find out we shared the dream until later." He told us and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, good. And the other thing, well, we had a moment earlier when I was thinking about what would have happened if I'd never met Bella and I just had this unbearable pain in my chest, like I was being crushed, but Bella said she felt it too, is that normal?" Embry asked and Sam took a deep breath before answering.

"Unfortunately, our mates can sense if something is wrong with us. They can feel our pain if its bad enough, but can also feel moments of extreme happiness or pleasure." He responded and I blushed, looking away. "Embry, when Bella goes back to her house, it won't be easy on you. An imprint is designed for you to be together, and it doesn't take age, or school, or homes into account when its created. Bella has school tomorrow and Charlie is going to expect her to be home tonight. It's going to be a rough night, Em. In fact, I think it would be best if you stay here tonight, so that I can make sure you don't go knocking down the Chief's door. It will be tempting, but it will be a painful night for the both of you." He told us.

Embry looked at Sam like he had just taken away his favorite toy. "What if I can't resist the pull? I'm not as strong as you." Embry asked him and Sam put his hands on Embry's shoulders.

"I know you will. You want to know how I know that?" Embry nodded. "Because you know that if you go storming into Bella's house in the middle of the night and kidnap Chief Swan's daughter, he won't ever let her near you again. Hell, he would probably try to shoot you. You want to be on his good side, so you won't do anything to risk not being able to see Bella again." Sam told him and he grunted but nodded.

"Bella, Paul and I will be on patrol in Forks tonight, so leave your window cracked just a little. If you hear us howling, it will wake you." Sam told me and I nodded.

"Why can't I patrol tonight?" Embry asked, getting defensive.

"Not tonight, Embry. You'll understand in the morning." Sam told him and I could feel that it made Embry mad, but he was more upset.

We ate dinner at Sam and Emily's and it was starting to get dark outside, but I wasn't ready to go yet. I didn't think that I ever would be, but Charlie would be waiting for me to get home.

"Bella, you'll drive your truck home. Paul and I will be tailing you from the woods the whole way. Embry, you stay here." Sam said as we got up to head to the door. Embry started to say something and Sam looked at him, then spoke with a deep voice. "You will stay here unless I call for you."

"You alpha ordered me?!" Embry yelled shaking mad.

"Calm down. You know she'll be safe, but if you go with her, you won't be able to leave. Do you understand?" Sam told him and I could see Embry clenching his jaw together before nodding reluctantly.

"Do I at least get to say goodbye?" He asked, still angry.

"I'll be outside. Paul's already in the woods waiting, he brought Bella's truck." Sam said before walking out the door, leaving us to ourselves.

"Em, I'll be fine." I told him as he turned, pulling me into his arms. He inhaled deeply before lifting my chin up to look at him.

"I don't care what Sam says, if something happens, call me and I will be there, ok?" he told me and I nodded. He leaned down and captured my lips in a searing kiss before breaking away and resting his forehead on mine. "I still don't comprehend how I can feel so much for you in so little time."

"I know, I feel it too." I told him before kissing him one more time, then walking out the door, leaving Embry watching from the doorway. I got in my truck and started it up, looking out the rearview mirror at Embry's still form as I drove away. As soon as I was out of eyesight, I felt the dull ache in my chest and it only worsened as I got further away and closer to my home.

I pulled into my driveway to see Charlie's police cruiser sitting there with the light from the big screen illuminating the living room window. I walked inside and saw Charlie watching the game on the TV.

"Hey Bells, did you have a good time with Emily?" He asked and I smiled up at him, thinking about all that had happened this weekend.

"Yeah Dad, it was great! I can't wait to go back. She asked for my help whenever I get a chance for the wedding. I think we are really going to be great friends." I told him.

"You look better. I think spending more time on the reservation is helping you a lot." Charlie told me and I nodded.

"I think it's really helping me get over Edward. I've made a lot of new friends down there and I feel like myself again." I told him honestly.

"Is there a boy involved?" He asked seriously and I looked down before brushing my hair out of my face with my fingers.

"There might be, maybe." I said quietly, blushing.

"Is it Jacob?" He asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Um, no, Dad. It's not Jake. He's more like a best friend/brother. It's actually one of his friends, Embry." I told him, not wanting to keep it from him.

"Tiffany's kid? Billy told me he's a good kid." Charlie said.

"Yeah, he's pretty great. We met at Jake's and we just kind of hit it off." I told him, not exactly lying.

"So when are you planning to bring him up here to meet me?" He asked seriously and I gulped.

"I'm sure it will be soon, Dad. He wants to meet you too." I said, knowing it would be sooner than later.

"Alright, I needed to clean my guns anyways." I blanched. "Just- Just be careful, Bells. I don't want to see you get hurt again." I looked up and saw his eyes red and I walked over and gave him as hug.

"Don't worry, Dad. Embry would never hurt me." I told him honestly even if he didn't believe it. "I'm going to head up to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Bells."

I walked up to my room and turned on my light, putting my bag down. I pulled out the pair of sweats that I had borrowed from Embry the night before and put them on before sitting in my bed, feeling the ache fill my chest. I was unsettled, but the scent on his clothes helped a little. I laid down, thinking that the sooner I fell asleep, the quicker I'd wake up.

It didn't work.

I was awake for hours, listening out the window for any howling. I couldn't sleep, it didn't feel right. I was cold and no amount of blankets would warm me. I found myself wishing I was out in the forest, seeing my gray wolf. A couple times in the night I could feel the ache in my chest get sharp before going back to just an ache, and it made me worry how Embry was faring. I knew it would be worse for him than it was for me and that scared me for him because I was nearly ready to walk out the door to drive back down to the reservation.

It wasn't until about 4am that I felt any slight relief , or at least enough for me to drift off until my alarm woke me at 6am for school.

I groaned, slamming my alarm clock before getting up and getting dressed for the day. I felt the ache until I walked out my front door. Charlie was already gone for the day and I looked over into the woods, before seeing Embry walk out from the woods with nothing but short on.

I felt so relieved to see him and I ran over to him, grabbing him as he hugged me tightly.

"I'm never doing that again." He murmured as he buried his face in my hair. "I don't care if I do have to kidnap you and your dad hates me."

"It wouldn't be kidnapping if I come willingly." I told him as I relished in his warmth. I pulled away and looked up at him. He had dark circles under his eyes and I could see how tired he was. "Did you sleep at all?" I asked him.

"I couldn't. Because of the alpha order I was confined to Sam's house and I tried to leave a few times, but I couldn't. I was finally able to leave at 4 this morning when Sam came home and told me I could go patrol. I ran straight here and I've been in the woods ever since." He told me walking me over to my truck.

"I couldn't sleep either, well, until 4am when I felt the ache dull. It must have been where you were so close." I told him as I threw my backpack into my truck. He grabbed the keys out of my pocket and climbed into the driver's side. "Hey, I gotta go to school, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to take my girlfriend to school, what does it look like? Get in." He said with a smirk and I laughed and got in my truck.

"I'm pretty sure you never officially asked me to be your girlfriend." I told him as he started to drive.

"I thought it was pretty much implied." He said and I smacked him on the arm. "Hey!"

"Just because your tribal elders could consider us married doesn't mean that you don't have to ask me to be your girlfriend." I told him, only half joking. He pulled the truck over and looked at me, taking my hand.

"Isabella Swan, my imprint, my soulmate, my other half for eternity, will you be my girlfriend?" He asked with his eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Of course. Now keep driving or I'll be late to school." I told him and he rested his hand on my leg as he continued to drive to my school. As we pulled in, I got out of the truck as he did too and I was vaguely aware of the stares headed in our direction. He walked around and hugged me tightly.

"You realize you're at a high school and not wearing any shirt, right? Like everyone is staring at us." I told him and he laughed into my hair.

"Shirt's too much to carry when I run." He said.

"Maybe you'll just have to leave one at my house." I told him and he pulled back, nodding happily before he leaned down to kiss me, slipping my car keys back into my pocket.

"I'll be in the woods patrolling around the school. If you need me just come outside." He said kissing me once more before running off into the woods.

Still feeling like I was on cloud 9 from the kisses, I walked over to my small group of friends.

"Who was that, Bella?" Jessica asked as I finally joined the group.

"That was my boyfriend, Embry." I told her, looking back over in the woods.

"Is he from the reservation?" She asked and I nodded. "He's like really hot. I love how like none of them wear shirts, you know?"

I could feel myself getting angry about what she said.

"Yeah, and he's mine, so eyes off." I found myself saying and she looked at me like I'd grown another head.

"Whoa, chill Bella. It's not like I was trying to steal him or anything." She said, but I just waved it off.

We walked inside and I could feel a lesser ache than what I felt the night before, but it was bearable.

When the bell finally rang, I was the first one out the door and I saw him leaning against my truck, waiting for me. I walked up to him with my hands in my pockets.

"Hey, you." I said walking up in between his legs.

"Hey yourself." He said as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Why don't we get out of here and head home." I told him and he looked at me with a smile in his eye.

"When you say home, do you mean your house or?" he asked, opening the passenger side door for me.

"No, I meant down to the res. For some reason it just feels like home now. Like Forks isn't home anymore, and La Push is. I don't know, it's weird to explain." I told him and he looked over at me with the biggest smile.

"It's because the tribe recognizes you as one of ours now. Whether or not the people in the tribe know that you are doesn't matter, because one day they will." He told me. It excited me more than I could have anticipated.

* * *

 **So, I think this is one of my favorite stories I've written so far. I love the odd coupling of characters (If you haven't noticed from my other stories) and I can't resist an opportunity to explore a character to depths unknown. I'm so in love with the wolf pack and the idea of imprinting and in a few chapters, I'll give you a look at just what I think the true purpose of imprinting is. As always, reviews are super helpful at keeping me on my toes to post more chapters and helping me come up with new content.**

 **Thanks,**

 **Bex**


	7. Chapter 7

_"Why don't we get out of here and head home." I told him and he looked at me with a smile in his eye._

 _"When you say home, do you mean your house or?" he asked, opening the passenger side door for me._

 _"No, I meant down to the res. For some reason it just feels like home now. Like Forks isn't home anymore, and La Push is. I don't know, it's weird to explain." I told him and he looked over at me with the biggest smile._

 _"It's because the tribe recognizes you as one of ours now. Whether or not the people in the tribe know that you are doesn't matter, because one day they will." He told me. It excited me more than I could have anticipated._

* * *

We drove down to La Push and this time, instead of going to Sam and Emily's, we drove to a new house, one I hadn't seen before.

"Where are we?" I asked him as he turned off the truck, getting out and opening my door.

"This is Paul's house. We have a pack meeting, and you are pack now." He told me and I wasn't mad at all that he hadn't told me about the pack meeting beforehand, I was just excited that I was being included.

He didn't even knock, he just walked inside, holding the door open for me. I walked in, seeing some of the others waiting inside already. Paul walked up to me immediately and put his arm around my shoulder, despite the growl coming from Embry.

"Sorry about before, B, I'm not the best at controlling my anger." He told me, and I just smiled up at him.

"We'll just have to work on that, won't we?" I told him, suddenly feeling the need to be helpful with the pack. He smiled genuinely and kissed me on the cheek, emitting a deep growl from Embry.

"Welcome to the pack, B!" Paul said before turning to Embry. "Chill, bro, I'm just welcoming my new sister."

Embry came to my side and wrapped his arm around my waist. I felt so happy that I was being welcomed. I even had a new nickname!

Jared walked in next, coming up behind me and Embry, arms winding around the both of us as his head rested between ours.

"Welcome to the pack, sis!" he said before stalking off to the kitchen.

Sam had already welcomed me and Emily was beaming happily. She motioned for me to come into the kitchen and I unwound myself from Embry, although reluctantly. I looked up at him and saw sad puppy dog eyes.

"Hang out with your brothers, I'll just be in the kitchen with Emily, okay?" I told him and he nodded, walking over to the couch to play video games with the others.

I walked into the kitchen and Emily was there grabbing drinks for the guys out of the fridge.

"Hey! Do you think we should make the guys dinner?" I asked her and she smiled up at me.

"I think they would love that." She told me and I started digging around in Paul's kitchen, looking for supplies. I decided that a low country boil was the best option because it fed a lot of people and these guys ate like no others. It was a seafood boil with shrimp, crab legs, corn, carrots, potatoes, and other things that you literraly just dump onto newspaper on the table when its done and eat it with your fingers. I had found the recipe when reading a book about southern cooking. Luckily Paul had everything I needed and I instructed Emily on what I needed help with.

"So how are things going with Embry?" She asked as we started adding things to the giant pot.

"It's incredible, Emily. I've never felt anything like it, and I just feel so right. Is that how you feel?" I asked her.

"It's like he's your home, isn't it?" She asked back and I nodded.

"I told him I wanted to come home today, and that I meant the reservation by saying home. He told me that it was because the tribe has already accepted me as their own, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that this is his home." I explained, and she agreed.

"I know how you feel. When Sam imprinted on me, I lived in Neha Bay, but this felt like home instead, which is why I ended up moving here. I know it's harder for you because you're still in school. I was graduated already when we imprinted, so I was able to do what I wanted." She told me and I nodded.

"I mean, I am 18, so I'm technically an adult, but I am still in school and Charlie would flip if I just decided to up and move without graduating first. I'm finding it hard to know what the appropriate time limits are on a relationship, because it's like Embry and I just completely skipped so many stages. Like, I feel like if he asked me to move in with him right now, I'd just pack up and go, no questions asked, and we've only been together 3 days. Outsiders wouldn't understand. My dad wouldn't understand." I told her and she looked over at me.

"Bella, you feel a connection to the entire pack already, right?" I nodded. "You will always have a family here, no matter how long it takes for you to be able to live on the reservation. Embry will wait for you to graduate, he'll wait for you to get approval from your dad. He'd wait for you for a decade if he needed to, because that's just what your imprint will do. You guys will make due with you living off the res for however long it takes, even if it means him sneaking in your bedroom window at night for a few hours. The spirits know how hard last night was for him, and I told Sam he can't do that again. My parents didn't understand at first that I suddenly packed up and moved here on a whim, but they understood once they saw me with Sam. Imprints are pretty good at winning over parents. You'll see." She told me and I felt better.

We finished cooking dinner and laid it out on the table for the guys. I walked into the living room and saw the pack, including Jake, all laughing and playing video games. "Hey guys, dinner is ready!" I said and every single one of them looked up at me before racing into the kitchen.

When they saw the food on the table, Paul came up and squeezed me and Emily tightly. "Two sisters that cook? This is fucking awesome!" He said before grabbing a plate and piling it high.

"You did this, babe?" Embry asked, coming up behind me, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Yeah, Emily and I thought you guys would be hungry." I told him and he kissed me on the lips. "Go, eat."

He kissed me once more and grabbed a plate, piling it up. Jake walked over to me with a sad expression. "I'm sorry for just taking off the other day. I was just really angry that it was him and not me, but I can see now that you guys are good for each other." He told me and I turned around and hugged him tightly.

"You know you're still my best friend, right?" I asked him.

"Of course, Bells, but you might want to let go before Em rips my head off." He told me and I turned around to see Embry glaring at Jacob.

"Embry Call, stop that right now. He is my friend." I told Embry and he turned to look at me, his expression softening. "And you, don't provoke him." I told to Jake before walking over to Embry and sitting on his lap.

"Sure, sure." Jake said before making his plate.

"Fuck, B, this is delicious!" I could hear Paul saying with a crab leg in his mouth.

Sitting on Embry's lap was apparently the right decision because he calmed down almost immediately. We both ate and then he rested his head in the crook of my neck as the rest of the pack finished the food.

Once dinner was over, Emily and I cleared the table and washed the dishes while the guys sat at the table to have their meeting.

"The red-headed leech will be back soon, I know it. When she is, we need to have Bella down here and we are going to finish her." Sam told the pack. "The longer she is around, the more kids are going to turn. Quil has been 'sick' for the past few days, I have no doubt that he will phase before the week is out."

"Wait, Quil is going to be a wolf too?" I asked them and Sam nodded.

"Yes, and there will be others too. I feel like Seth Clearwater will be after him, I can sense it." Sam told us and I gasped.

"Seth Clearwater? But he's only _15_!" I said.

"We know, that's why we want to get rid of her before he phases. The wolf doesn't take age into account when there is a threat present. He has the bloodline. There are a few others that would have been passed the gene too, and they are even younger." Sam replied and I felt terrible, those kids didn't need the burden of tribal protectors on their shoulders.

"What can I do to help? She's after me, so is there anything I can contribute?" I asked and Embry looked over at me with wide eyes.

" **No**." he said immediately, not even hesitating.

"Em, I'm not going to sit back and do nothing when I'm the reason she is here to begin with." I told him. I could see him getting angry but not angry enough to phase.

"I think your scent being on Embry will lure her out to us, she'll think you're with him." Sam said and I looked at Embry.

"But then she would come after Embry instead?" I asked and Sam nodded. I then got angry. "No, this is my mess, not his. I can't let Embry get hurt because she wants me dead." I told them.

"Bella, none of us will get hurt. It's 5 to one right now and once Quil shifts, it will be 6 to one." I felt like I was going to cry. I couldn't let any of them get hurt.

I walked out of the kitchen and to the back porch relishing in the feel of the cold air against my burning skin.

"Bella, babe, this is my job. I am a protector of our tribe and our pack, and most importantly you. This is what we do. We were made to kill vampires and you know that. If something happened to you, I wouldn't- I couldn't- _fuck_ \- I'd be gone, Bella. I have to do this, for you, our pack, our tribe, for our future. _Please_ understand that." Embry told me as he walked out behind me and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"So you are going to be hunting Victoria?" I asked him, not wanting to think about him being the bait.

"Yeah, we are going to start tomorrow." He told me and I let a tear fall.

"My dad is out there hunting you guys right now. He thinks it's the wolves that are killing the hikers. Then you guys are going to be hunting Victoria. What if she gets you? What if my dad gets you? What if she gets my dad?" I asked and he turned me around and put his hands on both sides of my face.

"We are going to get her before she hurts anyone else, and don't worry, Harry Clearwater is with your dad and he knows about us, he has been covering our tracks in the forest." He told me before kissing me.

Just then, we heard a howl from the woods. Embry looked up and began taking his shorts off. "Well, there goes Quil." he said, kissing me one last time before the rest of the pack came outside. Sam was already running into the forest. "I've got to go help. You stay here with Paul and Emily." I nodded. I hadn't even realized that he was naked and I was left holding his shorts until I walked back inside.

A few hours later, I heard the familiar call coming from the woods. I saw Embry at the edge of the forest, naked. I quickly averted my eyes and walked outside with his shorts. I got to the edge of the forest and threw him his shorts.

"Babe, you're going to have to get past your aversion to nakedness because you are pack now, and there's a lot of nude moments in the pack. Not to mention you'll see me sooner or later anyways." He told me with a wink. "Though I do love seeing that blush on your cheeks."

"How's Quil?" I asked him as he finished putting his shorts on.

"He won't change back. We tried everything we could think of. I don't know what else to do." He told me running his hands through his hair. "He's freaking out. I mean, even I didn't freak out that bad when I phased."

"Maybe I can help? Tell Sam to bring him here." I told him and he looked at me strangely before nodding and shedding his shorts again, throwing them to me. This time I didn't close my eyes, but I still blushed when he winked at me before disappearing in the woods. After a few minutes, my wolf reappeared in the woods, this time not phasing back. He walked up to me and nudged me with his nose, licking me in the face.

Four other wolves came through the edge of the woods to the clearing behind Paul's house. I could tell the black wolf was Sam, the red/brown one was Jacob, which meant the other two must have been Jared and Quil, and it only took a second to figure out which one was Quil because his tail was in between his legs and he had cocked his head looking at me. I scratched Embry's head before walking up to the new wolf. Embry walked right behind me, as if to protect me.

I approached him slowly and reached my hand out, letting him sniff it. "It's okay, Quil, it's just same old me, Bella." I told him reaching up to rub his head. "Why don't you lay down so I can talk to you easier, okay?"

It took him a minute, but he slowly laid down on the ground and whimpered. I sat down and let him lay his head in my lap as I ran my hand across his head. "I know this is all new, Quil, but you have 5 brothers and 2 sisters now. We are a family, a pack, and we are all here to help you. Now just focus on being human again." I told him and I could feel the tension leave him before feeling his form shrink back down into a human again. A very naked human. All of the others phased back at the same time, and I was suddenly surrounded by 5 naked men, while Paul and Emily looked on in shock from the porch.

"Thank you, Bella." Sam said, helping Quil up and inside the house.

"We tried for 3 hours to get him to phase back and B gets him to turn in minutes. What the fuck kind of sorcery do you possess, woman?" Jared asked as he walked back inside with Jake, leaving me alone with a very naked Embry.

"You are amazing, babe. How did you do that? How did you know to do that? Spirits, I wish you had been there to do that to me when I phased. It was like his thoughts went from frantic to calm in a split second." Embry told me, walking up and hugging me tightly, burying his face in my hair and breathing in.

"I don't know, I just felt like it was the right thing to say." I told him before realizing that he was still naked and basically attached to me. "Uh, Em, you're naked."

"Like I told you, babe, better get used to it. Lots of nudity is in your future, and you do realize, you just saw almost the entire pack naked, right?" He asked me and I realized I had.

"Yeah but I wasn't paying attention to them." I told him and it was only then that I noticed it was hard. Like really hard. Up against my stomach.

"Sorry, babe. Let me grab my shorts." he told me, turning to grab his shorts on the railing of the porch. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, I wasn't uncomfortable, I just haven't ever seen- you know." I told him, swallowing. He was big, like really big. "Does it- you know- hurt, to be like that?" It was his turn to blush.

"If I don't * _cough_ * take care of it... then yeah it'll probably, _um_ , hurt later." He said, scratching behind his ear. It took me a moment to realize what he meant.

"Oh... _oh_. Um, do you need me to like- I don't know, is there anything I could do to like help or anything?" I asked him, red faced and he swallowed deeply.

"I'll be fine, babe. I know you aren't quite ready for that yet. Come on, let's go see how Quil is." He told me, adjusting his shorts before wrapping his arm around my waist and walking inside.

I walked inside and was attacked by Quil who had tears in his eyes as he hugged me. I hesitantly hugged him back before pulling back and looking at him.

"You ok?" I asked him.

"I'll be okay. Thank you for what you did. I was kind of freaking out." he told me and I just smiled up at him.

"You're welcome. I meant what I said, you know. We are all family now." I told him as Embry held me closly, pressing a kiss into the side of my head.

"Wait, you and Embry? When did that happen?" He asked, realizing that Embry was holding me in a not so brotherly way.

"He imprinted on me. I'm sure the guys will explain to you what that means later." I told him. He just raised his eyebrows and the guys went to explaining to him about all things pack related.

* * *

 **A/N: I decided to post another chapter because of the holiday this week. My husband and I (today is our 8th wedding anniversary, yay! P.S. I'm only 25 years old... So you can see my acceptance for young love comes naturally) and our 3 kids will be traveling tomorrow through Sunday, so I'm not sure if I'll get to post any more while I'm gone. Again, review, review, review. I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS! It warms my heart and my fingers.**

 **Love you all,**

 **Bex**


	8. Chapter 8

_"You're welcome. I meant what I said, you know. We are all family now." I told him as Embry held me closly, pressing a kiss into the side of my head._

 _"Wait, you and Embry? When did that happen?" He asked, realizing that Embry was holding me in a not so brotherly way._

 _"He imprinted on me. I'm sure the guys will explain to you what that means later." I told him. He just raised his eyebrows and the guys went to explaining to him about all things pack related._

* * *

Embry drove me home that night and after I said goodnight to Charlie, I took a shower and as I walked back in my towel, I found Em in my bedroom, sitting on the bed.

"Em, what about Charlie?" I asked him as he leaned against my headboard. He pointed to his ear and then motioned for me to come over to the bed. I pointed down to my towel and he smirked at me. i gave him a pointed look and he turned around, giving me privacy to change.

I then walked over to the bed, wearing the clothes he gave me again. When I sat down, he turned back around and inhaled deeply. He kissed the side of my head before pulling me down to lay with him.

"He's asleep." He told me after a little while. "I couldn't stay away again. I hope you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind. I just don't want Charlie to find you and shoot you for being in my bed." I told him, laying on his chest.

"Don't worry, babe. I have to be on patrol at 4am anyways. Not to mention I can hear if he wakes up." He told me and I smiled.

I slept like a baby until 4am when I felt him leave, but I was still able to sleep a little while longer, just not as well.

It was like that until the weekend. He would stay the night, then go out for patrol and take me to school, pick me up from school, and we would go down to the res and hang out with the pack until it was time to go back home again.

"Emily called and asked if you could spend the weekend with her again, wedding planning." Charlie told me as I left for school Friday morning.

"And?" I asked him.

"I said that was fine. You go have some good girl time and do whatever girls do. Harry and I will be hunting those wolves or bears or whatever they are this weekend so just stay out of the woods, alright?" He told me and I forced a smile at him.

"Don't worry dad, I'll steer clear. You be careful." I told him, really meaning it. The wolves weren't an issue, but Victoria was still out there.

When I was done with school, Embry was waiting by my truck, wearing an actual shirt this time.

"Oh, you dressed up for me. What's the occasion?" I asked him as I walked up and kissed him.

"I- uh- wanted to take you out." He told me. "Like a real date."

"Really?" I asked with a cheerful smile. He nodded and opened the passenger side door for me.

"I figured it was about time." He told me as he got in the drivers seat.

"It's so strange because it just feels like we've been together for a lifetime and its only been a week." I told him and he agreed. "So where are you taking me, Mr. Call?"

"I thought we could go to dinner up in Port Angeles, is that ok?" He asked. I grabbed his hand and held onto it as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Em, you sleep in my bed every night. I think anything you want to do is fine with me." I told him and he smiled.

He drove up to Port Angeles and we pulled into a nice looking restaurant, not too nice that what I was wearing would be considered underdressed, but it was nicer than I'd been to before.

We walked in and to my surprise, he had already gotten reservations for us. They showed us to our table and we sat down.

"I figured you should have a night off. You do so much for the pack and for me, I just wanted to do something for you." He told me and it made my heart skip a beat. "I can't tell you how happy I've been and how much I appreciate everything you've done for me and the pack. Even the weird relationship you and Paul have is starting to grow on me now."

Paul and I had a strange sort of friendship. He was different with me, more open, and in turn I calmed him down, helped him control his anger more. Embry wasn't too happy about how comfortable Paul was with me in the beginning but he realized I only looked at him as a brother.

"You know I don't mind cooking and helping the pack. They are family now." I told him honestly and he flashed me a brilliant smile.

"You know that makes me so happy to hear you call them family." He said, grabbing my hands. "I wanted to tell you, Bella," I looked up at him, worried because he only used my name when something was wrong. "I've known since the moment I imprinted on you, but I don't feel like it's too soon anymore to tell you that I love you." I was shocked, but in a good way. I knew I loved him too, and I didn't feel like it was too soon.

"I love you, too, Embry." I told him and the way he looked at me said everything.

We had a wonderful dinner and he drove me back to the reservation to his house. I took a shower once I was there and I was feeling brave. I had been planning something for the past few days and I felt like it was the perfect time for it.

I walked out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel on and saw Embry laying on his bed, reading with only a pair of boxers on, his arm behind his head. He looked up at me and the book dropped to the floor.

I walked closer and let the towel drop. His eyes got huge as he looked at me, gulping. " _Bella_?" he asked.

"I think I'm ready, Em." I told him and he stood up and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me, kissing me hard.

"You are so beautiful, Bella." he told me in between kisses.

"I think you're overdressed." I told him and it didn't take him long to shed his boxers. He was hard and pressed up against me as he picked me up, wrapping my legs around his waist as he carried me to the bed and laid me down on it.

"You're sure about this?" He asked me, "There's no going back."

"I know, I'm ready. I love you, Embry." I told him.

"I love you, too, Bella, so much." He said as he positioned himself at my entrance.

The beginning was painful for only a minute as I adjusted to his size, but then it was nothing but pure bliss.

We laid in a pile of sweaty limbs after we finished and I had never felt so connected to him as I did now. Maybe it had to do with the new bite mark on my shoulder, but I didn't care.

"I'm never washing these sheets." He told me, a sated look on his face.

"Um, you might need to wash them, they have all types of bodily fluids on them now." I told him, feeling the stickiness between my legs.

"Exactly why I don't want to wash them." He told me, his face buried in my neck, close to my new mark.

"I should have waited to take that shower until after." I told him, wanting to get up and get cleaned off and he shook his head.

"I'll draw you a bath in the morning, just stay, please. You have no idea how happy and comfortable I am right now." he told me and I couldn't refuse him. The sticky could wait.

We both slept the best we'd ever slept. The morning came too soon, but Embry was already up and made me breakfast, which he brought me in bed. After I ate, he drew me a bath and he carried me to the bathroom, straight into the tub and sat down with me.

I released a soothing breath as he lowered me into the tub. My nether regions were rather sore from our activities. He sat behind me and washed me gently, taking his time. I'd never felt anything so sensual in my life.

After getting ready for the day, he told me that we had to go over to Sam's for a pack meeting. We walked there, since it was so close and just as we were approaching the house, I looked up at Embry.

"Uh, Em?"

"Yeah, babe?" He asked.

"Will they be able to tell what we did last night?" I asked him, remembering their supernatural smelling capabilities.

"Babe, they would have known as soon as I phased anyways. You just smell a lot more like me and I smell a hell of a lot more like you at the moment. It's making my wolf very happy." he told me and I blushed. "Don't be embarrassed, please?"

"They are going to know as soon as we open the door, won't they?" I asked him and he just held my hand.

"Babe, Paul and Jared were on patrol last night, they probably heard us." He told me and I paled. I had been that loud? "We are imprinted, it's not like it was scandalous."

"You're right. There's no secrets in the pack." I told him, resigned to the fact that everyone would know within a few seconds.

He opened the door and let me in and the moment I walked inside, I heard a cat call from Paul. My cheeks turned pink and Sam smacked him square in the chest with a pointed look.

"Have a good night?" Jared asked wiggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah, it was really great. Maybe you should try it sometime." I told him and everyone started laughing so hard, even Embry.

"That was a third degree burn, man!" Paul told him, wrapping his arm around me. "You're my hero, B."

I didn't see a hint of jealousy in Embry's face as Paul kissed my cheek. "No more growling, Embry?" Paul asked with curiosity.

"Don't need to, I know she's mine. My wolf is happy. None of you guys are threats." He said and I looked over at him with love.

"You've marked her, haven't you?" Sam asked and Embry looked at him and nodded. I reached up and ran my fingers over my mark and shivered as tingles when down my spine. "Good, it will calm you a little, you're more aware of each other now aren't you?" Embry nodded again. I'd have to remember to ask him more details about the marking later.

We all ate lunch and then gathered in the living room for the pack meeting.

"Alright, we are going after the red head today. Paul and Jared tracked her around our borders last night. She is close, and we are going to take the opportunity to end her today." Sam said and I felt myself stiffen. I knew it was going to be soon, but not this soon.

"And perfect timing too, Embry smells like he is Bella right now." Jared said and I turned into Embry's arms. I was scared. I didn't want him or the pack to get hurt.

"Bella, babe, we've talked about this, we will be fine. You trust us, don't you?" Embry asked quietly.

"Of course I trust you, but she's dangerous. Like really dangerous. I don't want any of you to get hurt." I told him. "Wouldn't I be safer if I was with you instead of here unprotected?"

I felt horrible saying it as the words came out of my mouth.

"Bella, please. Paul will be staying here to guard you and Emily. Me being out there is the only way we can get this done. She's after you. It is responsibility to protect you and that's what I'm doing." He told me and I knew there was no changing his mind.

I pulled his head down where his forehead touched mine and closed my eyes feeling the closeness. "Promise me you'll come back to me."

"I love you." He told me, not promising something he couldn't know for sure.

"I love you too, please come back to me." I whispered and I kissed him before he pulled away. He walked over to Paul and put his arm on his shoulder and gave him a look. Paul nodded and Embry walked out the door with the rest of the pack, shedding their clothes as they went.

I had tears in my eyes and Emily walked over and put her arms around me. "Oh honey, it doesn't ever get easier." She told me and I knew, because my Dad was a police officer.

Paul turned around to us. "Stay in the house. I need to phase to keep tabs on the pack." He walked outside and took off his clothes before phasing. A silver wolf stood in his place and began pacing back and forth.

About an hour later, I heard a howl and raced to the window, looking out. I saw a flash of red in the woods and I felt my heart stop. Behind her, 5 wolves were coming in at all angles. I only saw just a split second before they had left the vicinity again.

About 3 hours later, I was at the point of pacing the house while Emily made us some herbal tea. She was worried too. Every few seconds I would look out the window and Paul was still in his wolf form.

A few minutes later, I heard several howls coming from quite a distance and I also heard Paul whimper before howling as well. He looked over at us and then phased back into a human, rushing inside.

"It's done. They got her." He told us, grabbing us both and pulling us in for a hug. "Emily, get some healing supplies."

"Paul, who's hurt?" He didn't answer me, but I knew who it was, I could feel it in my chest. " _Paul_ , how bad is Embry hurt?"

"It's not that bad, he will heal fast." He told me and I was now panicking. "He's the one that did it, though. Ripped her head straight off with his teeth." I didn't care if he was the one that ended her, i just wanted to make sure my mate was okay.

A few moments later, the guys came in carrying Embry. They were all still naked, no time to put on clothes.

They laid him on the table and I gasped at the damage. He had been split open across the chest. I rushed over to him and held his head as Emily began to clean his wound.

He was moaning and I could feel his pain. "It's alright, Embry, you got her, you did it!" I told him, brushing my fingers through his hair as he looked at me.

"My...Bella..." was all he was saying over and over again.

"Can you give him anything for the pain or to knock him out?" I asked and Sam just shook his head.

"His body will burn it off as soon as we give it to him. The wound will seal shut soon, our accelerated healing kicks in pretty quickly. The only thing that will help him right now is you staying with him." Sam said and I looked down to my sweet, selfless wolf, moaning in agony as his skin began to try and stitch itself together. One of the guys put some shorts on him after they were done.

"Take him to the couch," Sam told the guys. "Bella go sit with him, let his head rest in your lap." I nodded and walked over to the couch and the guys laid him with his head on my lap.

* * *

 **A/N- Happy Thanksgiving! We made it to our destination (9 hour drive) and had a nice Thanksgiving feast with family. Now it's time to relax for a few days before we have to drive back on Sunday. Don't forget to review!**

 **-Bex**


	9. Chapter 9

_"Can you give him anything for the pain or to knock him out?" I asked and Sam just shook his head._

 _"His body will burn it off as soon as we give it to him. The wound will seal shut soon, our accelerated healing kicks in pretty quickly. The only thing that will help him right now is you staying with him." Sam said and I looked down to my sweet, selfless wolf, moaning in agony as his skin began to try and stitch itself together._

 _"Take him to the couch," Sam told the guys. "Bella go sit with him, let his head rest in your lap." I nodded and walked over to the couch and the guys laid him with his head on my lap._

* * *

About an hour later, his skin had sealed itself, and he was asleep. I could feel myself crying as I raked my fingers through his silky hair. I was so mad that he had gotten hurt, but at the same time, he had killed her to protect me.

The phone rang and Sam picked it up. His face looked suddenly devastated and the second he put the phone back on the receiver, two howls erupted from the forest. He looked outside before looking back to us.

"Harry Clearwater had a heart attack. He didn't make it." He said.

"So that means... Seth." Jacob said, already heading outside. But there were two howls.

"And Leah." Sam said before the rest of them took off outside. I could feel my heart being cased in grief. Harry Clearwater was one of my dad's best friends, and my dad had been with him today.

Embry must have heard the howling because he opened his eyes and looked up at me.

"What happened?" He asked as he realized I had been crying.

"You killed Victoria but she- she got you too. You had a pretty bad slash across your chest. And Sam just got a call. Harry Clearwater had a heart attack and didn't make it. We heard two howls from the woods. Sam think its Seth and Leah." I told him and he leaned further into me, closing his eyes again.

Jacob came in the house about 20 minutes later. "Bells, do you think you help them like you did with Quil?" He asked almost desperately. I looked down at Embry who had his eyes barely open.

" _Go_ , they need your help." He told me.

"Okay, where are they?" I asked and carefully slid out from under Embry's head, getting up and walking outside with Jacob.

I saw 5 wolves. Three of them came up to me and nuzzled my cheek before sitting behind me. I walked over to the other two. One was definitely female and the other was smaller than the rest.

"Seth, Leah, it's alright. I know what you're going through right now is the hardest thing you've ever done. You just lost your dad, but that means that your mom is going to need you right now. So much. You won't be any help to her if you can't change back into a human. What I need you to do is lay down." They both surprisingly followed my command and laid on the ground. "Clear your mind, then focus on being human again. Think about what it is to be a human, doing human things. Think about being calm."

It only took Seth about 5 minutes to phase back and he was devastated, confused, terrified. For Leah it took about half an hour, but she finally phased back. Emily had brought out towels for the two of them and Leah didn't say a word. She grabbed the towel and the pile of clothes Emily had set out and walked directly into the woods.

"Seth, honey, are you okay?" I asked him as he walked inside. His eyes were red and tears stained his cheeks.

"My dad is—and now I-" He couldn't find the words to say.

"Shhh. You have a whole pack that supports you now, alright?" he looked at me and nodded. "Now go get on some clothes and Jared will drive you back home to your mom. She needs you right now, and you need to make sure Leah is alright too." I told him and he reached forward and hugged me tightly.

He then went and put his clothes on and Jared drove him back to his house with orders to stay with both of them to make sure they didn't phase close to anyone.

I walked back over to Embry on the couch and put his head back in my lap. "You're the wolf whisperer, babe." He said to me as he looked up at me with love.

"I know I can't contribute much more than that, so I'm just glad I can help, even though I know Leah already hates me." I told him and it looked like he was going to reply but Jake beat him to the punch.

"Bells, you've done so much for this pack already. Not only are you Embry's imprint, you're my best friend who likes to keep me grounded, you're Paul's confidant, and basically the pack mother. You have helped three wolves phase back to human within minutes. So I don't want to hear another word about you not contributing, because this pack would be in a hell of a mess without you." Jacob told me point blank.

I was speechless after Jake's monologue. I didn't realize I'd had that much of an impact on them.

"I'd have to agree with every word Jake just said, Bella." Quil said from the table. It was the first time I'd heard him be serious since he phased. "When you helped me, that was what I thought of you. It was like Taha Aki sent you from the heavens above to make sure we were okay. Not just the wolf, but the human too, and you don't know how much that means to us."

I had tears in my eyes. I didn't know what to say.

"I'm all in on this one, B. You're the best thing that's happened to this pack in my opinion." Paul said to me. "I think I have this imprint business figured out. The elders thought it was all about breeding a better, stronger pack, but if that were the case, Sam would've imprinted on Leah, not Emily. Bella's not even Quileute, unless there's some way back in her ancestry, and neither is Emily, she's Makah. I think it's about what we need. What the wolf needs and what the pack needs. If the wolf is happy, the pack is stronger."

I looked up at Paul and smiled, "When did you get so wise?" I asked.

"I don't know, I've just been thinking about it since Embry imprinted on you. I mean if all of this was about breeding, then Embry probably would never have phased and then never imprinted. I mean, we've all got different skills. Embry's nose is the best, I'm the fighter, Jared can see better, Sam's the alpha, Jake is the baby alpha, but he's pretty damn fast, Quil is brute strength, and I'm sure Seth and Leah are going to have their individual strengths, too. That's why we are such a good pack." Paul said and I could see Jake nodding too.

"I agree with Paul, an imprint isn't someone whose genes are going to make a better future pack, it's about making the current pack better. Making the wolf a better person, a better brother. Babe, you and Emily have made this pack a million times better. I mean, how could we even function if you both weren't looking out for us and feeding us, putting us in our place? This pack needs you guys just as much as it needs us." Embry said as he looked up at me from my lap.

"You should be resting." I scolded him, looking down at his wounds, now closed but a deep red.

"It was a compelling conversation, I couldn't help myself. Besides, I think my insides have sewn themselves back together now. I feel much better." He told me, and I knew he was still in a considerable amount of pain, I could feel some of it, but it had lessened.

"Well you still need to rest. I'm sure my dad is probably going to stay on the res tonight because of Harry, so I'm going to call him and tell him that I'm going to stay the night here and that I'll go over to the Clearwater's house in the morning." I told Embry and he nodded. I lifted his head up enough to get out from under it and went to use the phone. I called Charlie and he told me that he felt better with me staying on the res too. He sounded almost broken, but he said it would be best not to visit until the morning.

"Babe, can we go home?" Embry asked and I shook my head.

"Em, you can't be moving until you're fully healed otherwise you'll mess yourself up worse than what we can handle. We are both staying here for the night. When Emily gets back I'll ask if we can use her guest bedroom and one of the guys will have to carry you up there." I told him and he frowned but nodded.

Emily returned from the Clearwater's with Sam a short while later and said that we could most certainly use the guest bedroom and Sam carried Embry upstairs, careful of his wounds. "You need to rest, Embry, and that means nothing but sleep, got it?" Sam told him and he glared but nodded, nonetheless.

I made sure Embry was comfortable, then washed up for bed. All of my things were still at Embry's, so I just kept my same clothes on and carefully laid in bed next to him. He reached over for my hand and I put my hand in his, kissing his head before falling asleep with my face touching his arm.

The next morning, I woke up to find Embry tracing lines on my face. He had turned over on his side, facing me and I immediately worried about his wound.

"Don't worry, babe. It's healed. I hardly feel it anymore." He told me before I even had a chance to ask. I reached down and ran my fingers over the new white scars on his chest.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked him and he kissed my forehead, before turning to get out of bed.

"Only a few minutes." He told me, standing up like he hadn't ever been flayed like a fish last night.

"We need to go over to the Clearwater's this morning. You up for it?" I asked him, knowing that Charlie would be there.

"I'm fine, Babe. And it's about time I officially met your dad, even if it is under bad circumstances. He needs to know that I'll be here for you and him through all of this." Embry told me as I got out of bed too. He seemed to always know what to say. I couldn't believe how much I loved him.

"You need a shirt." I told him.

"Maybe Sam has one I can borrow so that we don't have to go all the way back to my house. The Clearwater's only live a few houses down from here." He said and we walked downstairs where Sam and Emily were making breakfast.

"Good morning!" Emily said, turning around from the stove. "Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, yeah we slept pretty good. Embry's nice and healed up. Thank you so much for letting us stay last night." I told her and she just smiled.

"Hey Sam, do you by chance have a shirt I can borrow to go over to Sue's?" Embry asked and he nodded, running upstairs quickly and coming back down, throwing a shirt at Embry. He pulled it on and it was strange to see him with actual clothes on.

We ate some breakfast and I helped Emily clean up while Sam and Embry talked for a few minutes, then we were on our way to the Clearwater's house.

"What are we going to tell your dad about me being with you this morning after you stayed the night here?" Embry asked.

"I'll tell him that I stayed at Emily's and you came over this morning to help Sam with something and I asked you to come with me. He honestly probably won't even notice with how upset he is." I told him as we came up to the medium sized cabin.

I took a deep breath and Embry grabbed my hand before heading up the stairs to the door. I could see Charlie's cruiser sitting in the driveway, so I knew he was there.

We knocked on the door and it was Seth who opened.

"Hey guys, come on in." He said with a somber expression. I knew this had to be overwhelming for him, and he was only 15!

We walked inside and Charlie came out of the kitchen.

"Hey Bells." He said, and I almost broke. His eyes were red and I knew his heart was heavy. Harry had been one of his best friends for over 20 years, they were the same age.

"Hey dad." I told him, letting go of Embry's hand to go hug him tightly. He hugged me back just as tight and then pulled back.

"So who's your friend?" He asked, looking over at Embry. I motioned for him to come closer and he did, holding out his hand to shake.

"Dad, this is Embry, my boyfriend." I told him.

"Chief Swan," Embry said as they shook hands.

"Call me Charlie. It's nice to finally meet you, son. You've pulled my daughter out of a dark place, so I need to thank you for that." Charlie said and I was surprised. "But if you ever hurt her like that- like he did, there won't be enough ammunition in my safe, got it?" There it was.

"Yes, sir. I don't think I could ever hurt your daughter. She's everything to me. I wanted to come with Bella this morning, not just for Sue and her kids, but to let you know that I'm here for you and Bella as well. If you need me to do anything or help in any way, just let me know." Embry told him and I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. He was so perfect.

"That means a lot, son. I'm glad Bella finally found someone who's good for her." Charlie said, putting his hand on Embry's shoulder. "Why don't you come give me a hand for a minute outside. Sue asked me to move some things to make room for the ceremony tomorrow and I just don't have the strength I used to."

Embry agreed and followed Charlie out the back door while I stood there, unsure of what to do.

I finally saw Paul come in through the kitchen and I waved him over.

"Wow, Paul, you're over here early." I told him as he walked over, seeing me standing awkwardly.

"Someone has to keep an eye on the pups. Too many people if you know what I mean?" He said and I understood. He was here to watch Seth and Leah.

"How are they? Seth seemed pretty rough just a second ago." I asked him and he shrugged.

"He's just beat up about his dad, he's taking everything else pretty well though, better than I did at least. Maybe you can talk to him or something in a little while. He really thinks you're something after helping him yesterday, you know. Like you're mama wolf. I think it fits pretty well." Paul told me and I smiled. "Leah, however, won't come out of her room. I only know she's in there because I can smell her. I gotta say though, that one threw all of us for a loop. None of us thought there'd be a girl in the pack. There's nothing in the legends about it at all. No one even saw the signs in her. I know for a fact she won't talk to Emily, so why don't you give it a try?"

I looked up at him. I doubted she'd listen to me. She seemed like she hated me from the moment she met me, though I didn't understand why. I knew why she'd dislike me now, because she knew my past with the Cullens and what they are, but all of that was in the past.

"I'll try, but I think she hates me too." I told him.

"If anyone can do it, it would be you, B. You've just got some type of supernatural calming effect or some wacky wolf relaxer mojo." He told me and I gave him a look of disbelief. I didn't think it extended that far, but I guess I was weird in a supernatural way, otherwise Edward would have been able to hear my thoughts too. I looked toward Leah's door and took a deep breath. "I'll be right out here. If she starts shaking, you get your ass out here, got it?"

* * *

 **A/N- Well what do you think? I'm finally home after another 10 hour drive, and super exhausted. This is as much as I have currently written so far, so anything from here on will most likely be review driven! So REVIEW, ya know, for more chapters. It gets me writing. Please and thank you.**

 **-Bex**


	10. Chapter 10

_"If anyone can do it, it would be you, B. You've just got some type of supernatural calming effect or some wacky wolf relaxer mojo." He told me and I gave him a look of disbelief. I didn't think it extended that far, but I guess I was weird in a supernatural way, otherwise Edward would have been able to hear my thoughts too. I looked toward Leah's door and took a deep breath. "I'll be right out here. If she starts shaking, you get your ass out here, got it?"_

* * *

I nodded, taking a deep breath and heading to the door at the end of the hallway. I knocked and heard a 'Go away' from the other side. "Leah, can I talk to you?" I heard some shuffling and the door opened slightly.

"You won't go away until you do, right?" She asked and I shook my head.

"No, if you don't want to talk, I'll leave you alone, I just thought I'd try." I told her and she looked away. "Look, I know you don't seem to like me, probably because of my previous life choices, but I am pack now and the pack is my family. I am loyal to my family, to our pack."

Apparently that was the right thing to say because she opened the door and let me in, closing it behind me. I sat down in a chair across from her bed where she sat. She looked up at me with a curious glint.

"Did you know?" She asked. I looked back quizzically. "Did you know they were leeches?" I gulped and nodded.

"I figured it out on my own, with a little help from the Quileute legends. But yes, I knew." I told her, not lying.

"So you chose to date someone who could have killed you in the blink of an eye?" She asked with malice and I nodded.

"I was pretty weak minded then. I was captivated by them. They didn't hurt people, so I thought it was okay. I was manipulated, though. I was controlled, and I didn't realize that until Embry imprinted on me and showed me what love is supposed to look like. I had thought I was in love with Edward, but it wasn't love. Not even close." I told her. She seemed to look at me strangely then.

"Imprinting. I keep hearing the word and no one has told me what it means." She said and I froze for a second. No one had told her yet? She had only been a wolf once, but shouldn't someone have filled her in afterwards?

"Um, well, it's sort of like an instant soulmate. Like for me, Embry and I had been friends for a little while before he phased, so he'd looked me in the eyes countless times. After he phased, the first time he looked me directly in the eyes, he imprinted on me. The whole world stopped for him. Any previous connections we both had were severed and nothing else mattered anymore but each other. After the imprint happens, the wolf becomes whatever the imprint needs. A protector, a friend, a lover. Embry and I tried to be friends at first, but it was so easy to fall in love with him. And the imprint doesn't chose for you, it just guides you in the right way. The elders thought it was meant to breed stronger future wolves, but we've all agreed that its not. It's to make better wolves, a better pack, a stronger one." I told her, trying not to leave anything out.

She seemed to process it for a few minutes, then looked back up at me and asked. "Who all has imprinted?" She asked and I took a deep breath and ran my hand through my hair.

"Uh, just Embry… and Sam." I told her and her eyes went dark.

"So he imprinted on Emily? He just looked at her and she was the one?" She asked in a low voice, breathing deeply.

"Yes, he said he tried to fight it, and Emily tried to fight it too. She tried to get him to go back to you, but she didn't understand that he couldn't and he got angry and phased in front of her, which is why she has the scars now." I told her, silently begging that it didn't set her off.

To my surprise, she started laughing. "So what you're telling me is that the spirits essentially fucked me over in more ways that just one? First, they take away the love of my life, the man I was going to marry, who I'd been with for 3 years, and make him immediately fall in love with my cousin, my best friend. Then they say screw you again by making me turn into a giant wolf, the only girl in the pack, who is cursed to share a mind with man who nearly broke me, who is still madly in love with my cousin, even after he scarred her for life? This is seriously a cruel fucking life, Swan." She said, reaching for a bottle on her nightstand.

"Leah, are you drunk?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"I've drank almost the whole bottle and I've only got a little buzz. I don't understand why I'm not black out drunk right now." She told me and I reached over and grabbed the bottle.

"Because you're a wolf now. Your body burns the alcohol faster off than you can get drunk. Besides, I don't think you need to be drinking right now." I told her and she tried to grab it back.

"My dad is dead, Swan. I turn into a giant fucking wolf. I need this more that anyone." She told me, grabbing the bottle back and downing the rest of it.

"You know, you're not alone anymore. I know you don't want to talk to Emily anymore, but I'm still here and I'm pretty good about being objective. Maybe you should go out for a run, I've heard that wolves deal with things better that way. Burn off some steam. I can ask Paul to run with you, he's pretty good at keeping his thoughts to himself." I told her and she raised her eyebrows. "I can cover for you here, if you want."

"You'd do that?" She asked and I nodded.

"I'd do anything for my pack." I told her honestly and she seemed surprised. "Just don't forget to take your clothes off and tie them around your ankle before you phase, otherwise they'll be shredded."

She nodded at me and opened her bedroom window, jumping out. I quickly walked out of the room back to where Paul was standing and he had his eyebrows raised.

"Damn, B. Give a little warning before volunteering me to run with a volatile pup." He said jokingly before taking off his shirt, throwing it at me before bounding off out the door to follow after her.

I was still standing there, holding Paul's shirt when Embry walked back inside with my dad. He gave me a confused look before pointing at Paul's shirt.

"Paul went on a run with Leah. He threw this at me on his way out the door." I told him and he raised his eyebrows and nodded. Charlie just raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Who got Leah out of the house?" Embry asked me curiously.

"I did. I went in there and talked to her for a little while, explained some things, and told her she might feel a little better if she went on a run, then told Paul to go with her just to make sure she was ok." I told Em, careful of how I said it because Charlie was listening.

"Okay, good." He gave me the look that said we'd talk about it more later away from prying ears.

"So, Dad, what do we need to do?" I asked Charlie who was watching as Embry kissed the side of my head.

"Um, I think Embry here helped with what needed to be done, so you guys can either hang out or go I guess. Seth might need some company though, he's looking a little worse around the edges. We'll be having a bonfire tonight in Harry's memory." He told us.

"Em, you want to go grab Seth and we can take him down to the beach for a little while?" I asked Embry who nodded, bounding up the stairs to get Seth.

"I like this one, Bells. I think he's good for you. You seem… happy." Charlie whispered to me, even though I knew Embry could hear.

"I am, Dad. Happier than I've ever been. I think he's a keeper." I told Charlie, who's eyebrows rose, but didn't have enough time to respond before Embry and Seth were back down the stairs. "We'll be down at the beach if you need us."

Embry slid his hand into mine as we walked out the front door, Seth trailing behind. "So your Dad likes me, huh?" Embry said as we walked down the path next to the house towards the beach.

"I know you heard what he said." I told him with a smile then turned to Seth. "How are you holding up, Seth?"

"I'm doing better today. I just can't believe he's gone." Seth said and I reached my hand over and wrapped it around his arm.

"I know there's nothing we can say to take the pain away, but we will be here to help you through it all. Like I told you last night, we are family now." I told him and he smiled kindly over at me. Even being only 15 years old, he towered over me.

"Just knowing you guys are here already helps, so thank you." He said as we made our way down to the black sand beach.

"I would suggest you guys phase and run some, but Leah and Paul are phased and it'd probably be better to wait until they're done. Her thoughts were a bit… erratic this morning." I told them. "Seth, maybe Em will run with you later, before the bonfire?" I looked over at Embry who nodded.

"Yeah, I think that'd be great. I really feel like I need to burn off some steam. So I heard a little bit about what you were telling Leah about this morning, about imprinting, is that what you guys have?" Seth asked us and Embry smiled, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close.

"Yeah, I imprinted on Bella. Only Sam and I have imprinted so far though. Let me tell you, man, it's the best thing in the world. Bella and I are perfect for each other and I'm not sure if we'd ever have known that if I didn't imprint. I mean, I had a crush on her but I thought she was going to be Jake's girl, so that would have never played out. It was supposed to be a rare thing, but I'll be interested to see if any of the rest of the pack will imprint too." Embry told him as we walked down to the water's edge.

He held me closely and ever once and a while he'd lean over and kiss the side of my head or the spot where the mark was on my shoulder.

Embry explained several things to him about the patrols and how to kill vampires and about the pack mind and Seth's eyes got wide.

"So the entire pack can see what's going through my mind while we are phased?" He asked and Embry smiled with a laugh.

"Some of us can hide certain things better than others, but for the most part, yes. It's because we can't talk out loud in our wolf form, so we need some way to communicate so that when we attack, we can coordinate." Embry explained to him.

"I don't want my sister to hear my thoughts!" Seth said and Embry and I both started laughing at his terrified expression.

"I'm pretty sure none of us want to hear your sister's thoughts and she won't want to hear ours either, but that's just the way it rolls, man." Embry said, picking up a rock and throwing it into the ocean. "And it's not just hearing, it's seeing too. Better get used to some pack nudity. Poor Bells was a bit traumatized but I think she's gotten used to it now, right babe?"

"Unfortunately." I replied with a solemn look.

"OH MY GEE'S I HAVE TO SEE MY SISTER NAKED!" Seth yelled, freaking out. Embry and I started cracking up and I put my hand on Seth's shoulder as I wiped a tear from my eye.

"Hopefully she'll choose a different spot to change in, but I'm sure it'll happen at some point. Like yesterday, after they finished killing the vampire, Embry was hurt so no one was even concerned with putting clothes back on when they brought him inside, so I saw everything. I've just learned to block it out." I told him and he still looked utterly horrified. "Seth, honey, you turn into a giant wolf built for killing vampires and your terrified of seeing your sister naked?"

"I promise, it's much more frightening." He told me and I just laughed. We walked along the beach for a while longer before Embry decided to phase and see if Paul and Leah had phased out yet. He bounded off into the woods so that no one would see him phase.

"I'm sorry that this happened to you, Seth. You're only 15, you shouldn't have to have the weight of being a protector of the tribe on your shoulders." I told him while Embry was phasing.

"Honestly, I think it's pretty cool. Like I know there's the dangerous aspect of it, but I feel like it was meant for me. I'm kinda worried about going back to school though. I mean, I'm like 4 inches taller, super buff now, and turn into a wolf. Why do I need to go to school? They are just going to wonder if I was doing steroids when my dad just-" He began but trailed off.

"First of all, you won't be going back to school for at least a week, maybe two. Second of all, you most certainly still need to go to school, wolf or not, because you still need knowledge. Being a wolf doesn't have a full-time income. As far as I'm aware, the council provides some income but not enough to live, which is why the guys work for Sam. I'm sure once you get old enough he'll let you work too, but there's certain lessons that school teaches you, and who knows, maybe you have an imprint waiting for you... at school." I told him and he thought about it for a second before nodding his head.

"Doesn't Embry still have his senior year left? He's only 17, right?" He asked me and I smiled over at hit. Embry and I had discussed school (mainly because he missed a week when we first imprinted).

"Em's taking the two senior classes he needs over the summer and then he's going to graduate early in July. We haven't told the rest of the pack yet, except Sam, so don't say anything." I told him. **(A/N- Yes, this does exist because I did it myself. I took the last 2 classes I needed for my senior year during the summer and graduated in July at 17 years old.)**

"Wow that sounds great. So you'll be graduated soon, and Embry will graduate in July. Is it weird being older than him?" He asked quietly and I laughed.

"I used to think it was terrifying to be older than my other half, but it's really not. When you phase, It's not only your body that grows and ages, your brain does too. So he may be only 17, but he's got the mentality of about a 21 year old. You'll start noticing that soon, too. You look at least 19, Seth." I told him and he looked down at himself.

I heard a growl come from the edge of the woods and looked up to see Embry in wolf form, motioning his head for Seth to come. I patted him on the shoulder as he took a deep breath then ran towards the woods.

I walked over that direction and Embry met me at the edge of the woods, licked me on my face and rubbed his nose on the mark on my shoulder before running off into the woods with a smaller sandy wolf that was Seth.

* * *

 **A/N- So a lot has happened in the past few weeks... I was in the hospital for 4 days because I had a Gran Mal seizure. I'm home now and getting better. I also became friends with Kiowa Gordon, who plays the character Embry in the Twilight Series! Anyways, please review, because it makes me feel better.**


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